Power of Suggestion
by Una Moonstar
Summary: [post Stars] While taking part in a summer hypnotherapy experiment, Darien is accused of murder. He wouldn't do that, would he? It's up to Serena and the others to find out!
1. Chapter 1

Power of Suggestion

by Una Moonstar

Original ANs: I know, I know. I should be working on the fics I've already started, but this story wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. It's based on a Nancy Drew mystery I re-read recently. I know, I'm 27 and I still read Nancy Drew. Get over it. -grin- Anyway I decided to share it with you readers. And yes, Invalid Response chapter 9 is almost finished.

Disclaimer: Look, my family heritage is almost completely German. No Japanese ancestors in the bunch (that I know about anyway). That kind of leaves out the chance of my even being related to Naoko-sama, much less being her, whom I would have to be to claim to own Sailor Moon. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I also don't own Nancy Drew. That would be Carolyn Keene.

New ANs: I thought I could do an every-other kind of thing between this fic and Invalid Response. Anyone like a good mystery?

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"What in the world?"

"Do you see what I see?"

"It can't be!"

"It's about time."

"Amy!" three voices chimed in unison.

"What?"

"You guys can stop gawking at me any time now."

The four girls standing in the doorway of the arcade blushed in embarrassment as the meatball-headed blonde they had been staring at turned around on the stool at the counter she had been sitting on. She smiled. "Can't a girl read without it being the end of the world?"

"When that girl is you, no," the girl with long black hair and dark violet eyes responded with a smirk.

"Raye! That's just mean!" the blonde at the counter said in a huff as she snapped the book she had been reading shut.

"Oh, come on, Serena. You have to admit that this isn't typical behavior for you." The tall brunette smiled and crossed her arms over her chest, her emerald green eyes sparkling.

"Lita has a point, you know. And it's not like you can use school as an excuse; it's summer vacation!" the slightly shorter blonde with sky-blue eyes concurred, adjusting the red bow that held part of her long tresses away from her face.

"You don't have to be going to school to read, Mina," the last girl said as she brushed a strand of her short blue hair out of her matching eyes.

"What Amy said," Serena declared with a sharp nod, her sapphire blues flinty. "Can we just get a booth now?"

"Sure! I'm starved!" Mina said, starting to traipse over to their usual corner booth. The others followed, Serena pausing briefly to pick up the small pile of books on the counter.

"What are you reading, Serena?" Amy asked curiously as the petite blonde slid in next to her.

Serena held up the book so her friends could see the title. "Darien's involved in a study for his Advanced Psychology class that he's taking over the summer, so I thought I'd read up on the subject so I'd understand what was happening with him."

"'Hypnotism for Beginners'," Amy read aloud. "What's this study all about?"

"Darien said it had to do with hypnotism and subliminal suggestion. I guess his professor has been doing studies like this for the last seven years. This time he's focusing on amnesia victims."

"Oh," the others murmured.

"So what do you girls look so serious for?"

"Andrew!" Lita cried, practically jumping out of her seat. "You scared me!"

"You should warn people when you're going to sneak up on them," Mina said, her right hand pressed to her chest.

The tall blond man chuckled as he stuck his hands into his apron pockets, his green eyes sparkling with mirth. "I'll remember that next time. Can I get you girls anything?"

"A refill of my root beer would be nice," Serena said with a smile.

"I'll have the same," Lita said.

"Me too," Amy added, her nose in one of the other books Serena had brought to the table.

"I think I'll have a strawberry shake," Mina said.

"Chocolate shake here," Raye added.

"Got it. Be right back," Andrew acknowledged and returned to the counter to get their drinks.

"Why are you taking such an interest in this study, Serena?" Raye asked curiously.

Serena blushed. "Well, you'll probably think I'm being silly or paranoid, but considering what's happened to him in the past, I want to make sure I understand what could happen to him now."

"You're worried he's going to be brainwashed again," Mina said, suddenly serious.

"Pretty much. So I figured if I knew how it all worked I'd know what someone might be capable of."

"Oh, Serena," Amy said gently, closing her book. "Hypnotism can't make people do anything against their will. It was the magic that made him act the way he did."

The petite blonde smiled. "I know. But I'll feel better if I know how this process works. Besides, I'll be able to talk to him about the study in depth. I like that idea."

"Oooo, you'll have to try it on me once you're done reading up on it!" Mina exclaimed.

"That would be fun!" Lita agreed. Raye shook her head.

"What could be fun?" a tall, ebony-haired man said as he stepped up to the girls' table and flashed the group a quirky grin.

"Darien!" Serena cried with glee as she forcibly scooted Amy over to make room for the latest arrival.

"It's good to see you too, Meatball Head," he said smirking.

She scowled for a moment then broke into giggles and patted the now empty space beside her.

"Take the seat your fiancé is offering so I can serve these drinks!" Andrew called from behind his best friend.

Darien quickly slipped beside Serena and kissed her briefly. "Sorry I didn't call earlier. I had to talk to Professor Davis and it took longer than I was expecting." He looked up in surprise as Andrew set a full coffee mug in front of him.

"You're lucky I saw you walk in," the blond man shrugged.

"Professor Davis is your psych teacher, right?" Raye asked.

Darien nodded as he took a drink of his coffee and Andrew sat next to Lita, who had made room for him.

"And he's running the study you're involved in?" Amy followed up.

He nodded again. "I guess Serena told you."

"Only just now," Lita said.

"It's no big deal I guess. I needed to do a study for the class I'm taking, and this one caught my eye. I've had the professor for a few other classes and I trust him. Believe me, that's the only reason I agreed to this at all. He promised he would be the only one working with me and everything would be confidential."

"What in the world are you talking about, Dare?"

"Did you forget somebody?" Darien asked Serena with a smile.

"He wasn't here when I was explaining to the girls. I might not have even said anything to them, except they caught me reading." The girls smirked.

The ebony-haired man shot her a quizzical look and grabbed one of the books in front of her. "You're reading books about hypnotism?" He looked the petite blonde next to him in the eye as he put the book back on top of the small pile. "Why?" he asked softly.

"I wanted to understand what was going to happen to you. I needed to be sure…" Serena trailed off, dropping her gaze to her lap.

"Oh, Serena," Darien murmured and took her into his arms. "I promise I'll never be turned against you again. I will _not_ let it happen," he whispered in her ear. She squeezed him tightly in return.

"Ahem." The couple broke apart at the sound of Andrew clearing his throat. "You didn't answer my question."

"You're right. I didn't." Darien smirked.

Andrew leaned over the table and smacked his smirking friend upside the head. "Just talk." The girls giggled.

"Alright, alright," Darien said as he rubbed where he had been hit. "I volunteered to take part in a study Professor Davis is running where he's going to be using hypnotism and subliminal suggestion on amnesia victims, hoping to be able to bring back memories that have been lost. He's been doing studies about hypnotism in general for the past seven years or so, but this is the first time he's been able to get the funding for a focus on amnesia."

"Why? Sounds like a worthy project," Lita commented.

"The professor says it took this long to establish his 'research credentials.' He's actually increased the knowledge of how the brain works."

"I've read a couple of his books. They're quite good," Amy added. The other girls rolled their eyes.

Darien smiled. "I thought so too."

"So what's it like being hypnotized?" Andrew asked curiously.

Everyone turned an expecting look in the ebony-haired man's direction. He laughed. "I wouldn't know yet. This last week was spent collecting personal and medical information and conducting pre-study interviews. My two sessions were quite uneventful." He absent-mindedly squeezed Serena.

"So how much time is this study going to take?" Mina asked.

"In other words, how much whining of Serena's are we going to have to put up with on a weekly basis?" Raye said with a smirk. Serena gave the priestess a raspberry in response.

"The study lasts for the next twelve weeks. I'm scheduled for two hour-long subliminal suggestion sessions and one hour-long hypnotism session. That last one will be in Professor Davis' office."

"What about the subliminal sessions?" Amy asked.

"There's a special lab set up in the basement of the psych building."

"So _that's_ what's been going on down there. I wondered what all the commotion was about," Andrew said.

"It's the first time the professor's used subliminal suggestion to such a degree, besides the two other studies that will be going on. He figured it would be best to have professional equipment brought in."

"Uh, Andrew? I'm not trying to get rid of you or anything, but shouldn't you be getting back to work?" Serena asked.

Andrew smirked. "Nope. I actually have off this weekend. I said I'd hang around for a while and help since I knew you guys were meeting here and I thought we could all go out and do something later. Liz and her friend Rachel are watching the place."

Serena giggled. "You sneak."

"That was about Liz's reaction."

"So what did you have in mind?" Darien asked.

"Couples night out. There are a few new movies on at the Complex and I figured we could pick one."

Darien looked down at the young woman in his arms. She nodded with a huge smile. He shrugged. "Count us in."

"I'll call Ken, but it should be fine. We were thinking about movies tonight anyway," Lita said.

"Chad and I are in. He needs a break anyway. That new assistant can be a handful." Raye rolled her eyes.

"Oooo, let me call Jamie! Lita, lend me your phone," Mina insisted, holding her hand out. The tall brunette handed the blonde her cell phone as she shook her head.

"What about you, Ames?" Serena asked, only Darien's arm over her shoulders keeping her from bouncing around in her seat.

The blue-haired girl sighed. "Greg won't be back from Germany until tomorrow night. My mom and I are supposed to meet him at the airport."

"Then let me escort you, my lady," Andrew said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Rita won't be coming home for a visit for another month and a half, so I'm dateless myself."

Amy smiled. "Sure. Sounds like fun."

"Oh, that's great! Come on over to Crown Arcade then. I'll be waiting," Mina said into the phone she held. "Love you too. See you in a bit. Bye!" She pressed end and handed the phone back to Lita, who proceeded to call her own boyfriend. "Jamie's in. He'll be here as soon as he can."

Raye smiled and pulled her own cell phone out of her purse. "Let's hope he's quicker than you." Mina stuck her tongue out at the dark-haired priestess.

"I'm going to go hang this apron up in the back. Won't take long." With that Andrew rose and went to the back room.

By the time he got back, Jamie and Ken were standing next to the corner booth and Raye was keeping close tabs on the door. "Everything set?" the blonde man asked.

"As soon as Chad gets here we can leave," Raye said, shooting another look toward the entrance.

Five minutes later, the shaggy-haired man scrambled into the arcade, and the group was off.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

It was a bright, sunny Thursday afternoon when the figure of a Crown Arcade regular walked into said establishment on autopilot. It wasn't the blonde meatballs and streamers that caused the other customers to look at the young woman oddly; they were used to those. It wasn't the relatively sedate pace either; they had noticed her speed of entry drop as she grew older. No, it was the fact that one Serena Tsukino had her cute little nose in a book as she walked. Had it been her friend Amy Mizuno no one would have batted an eye. But this was the girl who had once jumped on top of the counter and announced to everyone in a twelve-mile radius that she hated school and everything connected with it.

The aforementioned blonde was oblivious to the shocked looks she was receiving, only looking up when she reached the counter. Marking her page, she shut her book and looked around for familiar faces. In the far corner in her group of friends' usual booth sat Andrew fidgeting with the straw in his vanilla shake as he stared out the window. Serena smiled and, leaving an order for a double chocolate shake with Liz who had popped out from the kitchen, strolled over to join her friend.

"Hey, Andrew," she said cheerfully as she slid in across from the blonde man. He jumped slightly and turned his attention to the new arrival. "What are you doing just sitting around? It's not like you."

Andrew smiled, his emerald green eyes lighting up. "Rita'll be home any time now. We're meeting here."

Serena grinned. "Ah, I see. Nerves. You know, I didn't think six weeks would go by so fast. Half our summer vacation is gone!"

"Yeah. Say, have you thought about a major yet?"

"I've been thinking, but I haven't decided yet." She sighed and looked up to see Liz standing at the edge of the table with a tray in her hand.

"Here, bro. Your food." She put a plate filled with a double cheeseburger and fries followed by a small dish of mayonnaise. "Sorry about the wait, Serena. I figured I'd bring everything at once."

"No problem," the petite blonde responded as Liz handed her the shake she ordered and Andrew salted his fries. "What's the mayo for?"

Andrew just grinned and dunked one of his fries in the bowl before eating it. Serena raised an eyebrow.

Liz laughed. "You've never seen him eat here before, have you?"

"No, he always demands we go somewhere else when Darien and I drag him out."

"This is what he always has. And he's a slob!" the redheaded waitress said playfully. Andrew just shrugged and kept eating. "Personally I think that's just gross."

Serena shrugged. "I don't know. Can't be _too_ bad."

Andrew shot her a look and offered a French fry, his mouth full. The petite blonde took it, dunked it lightly in the thick white condiment, and popped it in her mouth. She smiled and nodded. "Not too bad. I wouldn't eat it this way all the time, but it's a tasty change of pace."

Liz rolled her eyes. "You're just as bad as he is." With a wink and a smile she went back to work.

Serena polished off her shake as she waited for Andrew to finish eating. "So what are you and Rita going to do tonight?"

Andrew swallowed his last bite and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "She was hoping to make some quick rounds and then watch movies with me at my place. What are you up to? Any plans with Darien?"

She nodded. "I'm supposed to meet him after his subliminal session around five thirty and we were going to go to dinner. We were going to wing the rest of the evening." She sighed. "At least I hope that's how things turn out."

The blond man looked at her quizzically. "What makes you say that?"

"Over the last couple of weeks he's forgotten a bunch of dates. Well, not dates exactly, but times when we were going to meet and such. It's not like him."

"I'll say it isn't. Have you said anything to him?"

"Yeah, and I think it bothers him just as much as it does me. That's the only thing keeping my imagination in check. I do trust him, but I'm afraid of losing him."

"You won't. Everything will work out; he's probably just stressing himself over school as usual. How about Rita and I go with you to meet him?"

Serena smiled. "That would be great. I know Darien would love to see her."

"I would hope so; I missed him too."

The two friends seated at the table turned in surprise at the new voice. There stood Rita, a tall brunette with wavy hair that went just past her shoulders wearing a loose white dress shirt and khaki shorts. "Rita!" Andrew exclaimed, jumping up to take her in his arms.

"I missed you so much, sweetheart," Rita whispered as she returned the fierce embrace.

Serena just smiled as she watched the emotional reunion. The couple finally broke apart, and, after a passionate kiss, slid into the booth across from the petite blonde. "So when did you guys want to head over to the campus?"

The brunette shrugged. "Why don't we go now? I didn't order anything here, and we can go to the Union."

Serena's eyes sparkled. "Oooo, yeah. They have waffle cones. Let's go!" She winked playfully.

Andrew laughed as the two women stood and started for the door. "Should have known something like that would motivate Serena." He followed the ladies out.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena was just finishing her triple-scoop chocolate waffle cone and Rita and Andrew were on their second cups of coffee when a small, loud group of students walked into the Student Union and occupied a table nearby.

"Can you believe those two? Another argument that took up most of class!" a short, honey-blonde girl exclaimed as she tightened her long ponytail.

"No kidding!" a tall man with short brown hair concurred. "Those two are going to end up pounding each other one of these days!"

"Well, you have to admit, today was Jackson's fault," a girl with bright red hair said as she flipped it back over her shoulder.

"You have a point there, Tabitha. And it looked like Shields was trying to hold back," the man with short brown hair conceded. Serena, Rita, and Andrew perked up their ears at the sound of Darien's last name.

"But what can you do when someone continually berates you for having the audacity to hold a differing opinion," a shorter man with close cropped green hair said sarcastically. "I'm surprised Shields hasn't lost it yet. This makes, what? Three times this session?"

"Four," Tabitha corrected, rolling her eyes. "You missed the last showdown, Tom."

"What was that one about?"

"Jackson's lucky he didn't get himself pounded in the middle of the lecture hall," the brown-haired man said with a snicker.

"That doesn't surprise me, but what was the subject?"

"I think it was something about amnesia. Jackson said that he figured amnesia victims didn't really want to remember the memories that were lost, otherwise how could the loss be so selective."

"You know, he said it so maliciously and right at Shields, almost like he knew that would get his goat." The blonde girl said reflectively while Serena gasped and gripped the table.

"I think you may have something there, Sabrina," Jason said.

"So what did Shields say?" Tom asked curiously.

"He said how dare I make such a presumption, and that certainly didn't explain cases where there was injury to the brain involved," a new voice said from the side of the two tables, causing everyone at both tables to jump in surprise.

"Man, Jackson! You didn't have to scare us like that!"

"Why not, Jason? You think it's any more fair to talk about me behind my back?" the six-foot tall man with slicked back black hair said with a sneer.

"Look, Knight, it's not like anything we said isn't public knowledge. So can the attitude," Tabitha snapped.

"Besides, it's not like Shields is sitting with us," Tom added.

Jackson shot a look at the table Serena, Andrew, and Rita were sitting at, quietly fuming, Serena with difficulty. "Maybe not, but his friends and girlfriend are close enough," he said smirking and pointing.

His four seated classmates turned to look at the three at the other table and gasped. "Oh, wow, we're sorry," Sabrina said contritely. The others nodded in agreement.

Andrew waved them off. "Don't worry about it. It's not you guys that have been bugging Darien." He turned a sharp gaze at Jackson.

Serena narrowed her eyes at the standing man. "You're helping out with Professor Davis' study, aren't you?"

One of Jackson's eyebrows became visible from under the dark sunglasses he wore. "And what of it?"

The meatball-headed blonde's sapphire blues grew wide and she sprung to her feet. "You… bastard!" Andrew and Rita looked at her in shock. "You knew! You knew and deliberately goaded him like that in front of everybody, where he wouldn't dare say anything personal! How could you?"

Jackson looked at his watch and started to walk away. "As entertaining as this has been, I have to be going or I'll be late for a certain four-thirty session." He turned back, lowered his glasses, winked at Serena, and continued on his way.

Andrew and Rita jumped up and held onto the petite blonde's arms, preventing her from chasing after the arrogant man. "Keep your cool, Serena," Andrew said through clenched teeth. "He's not worth the energy."

"Besides," Rita continued as she glared at the back of Jackson's black T-shirt, "Darien would never want you to do something like that."

At the sound of her fiancé's name, Serena quickly settled down. "You're right, Rita. Darien wouldn't want me to do anything like what I'd like to do."

Andrew breathed a sigh of relief. "Darien can take care of the situation."

"You know, I really am surprised Darien hasn't decked him yet. It's not like Jackson doesn't deserve it," Tabitha said.

Serena smiled serenely. "That's just not in Darien's nature. He doesn't really like confrontations. He'll defend his point of view, but he'd never take it to a physical level. He'd walk away first."

"Who's that girl talking to Jackson?" Andrew asked, pointing to the entryway, where Jackson stood talking to a young woman of medium height with shoulder-length violet hair and eyes wearing a white floral print sundress. Neither party looked very happy.

"Oh, that's Morgan DeMarco," Sabrina replied. "She transferred here from a school in Kyoto I think."

"Third year psych," Tom added. "She's only been here a semester, but she seems to be making a big impression on people."

"She certainly has the looks," Serena muttered.

With the lull in the conversation, Morgan's words could be heard at the tables. "But this is important, Jacks."

"I can't right now." Jackson's answer was short and curt.

"We _have_ to talk," the violet-haired girl continued.

"Look, I have a session to get to. I don't want to be late. Call me later. I'm sure I can wait."

"I don't think it can," Morgan replied frostily.

"Whatever. It's up to you." With that, Jackson brushed by the woman and left the building.

"Why do I get the feeling that this Jackson Knight character isn't all that popular around here?" Andrew asked wryly.

"He definitely sets people on edge," Jason replied. "He's dedicated to his work though. He's been helping out Dr. Davis for two or three years now."

"Oh, wow, it's almost four-thirty," Tabitha said, looking at her watch. "We have to get a move on."

"Right," Tom concurred. "Don't let Jackson Knight spoil your day," he said to Serena, Rita, and Andrew. "The rest of us have learned to just blow him off."

"We won't," Serena said with a smile. "You guys have fun." She waved as the four of them left the Union.

"I just hope Jackson backs off when he gets to that lab," Andrew said after the other four students left.

Serena's eyes hardened a bit as she nodded in agreement.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

An hour later, Serena, Andrew, and Rita stood in front of the psychology building enjoying a light breeze that took the edge off the heat of the day. The campus was practically deserted due to the lateness of the hour and the fact that it was the middle of the summer session. Serena was looking through the book she had been reading when she walked into the café earlier.

"What are you reading, Serena?" Rita asked.

"A book on hypnotism. I'm trying to understand as much as possible."

"I'm impressed," Andrew commented with a smile.

Serena stuck her tongue out at him while Rita laughed. As the petite blonde marked her page and closed the book, a gunshot rang out, seemingly from the building behind the trio. "That was a gun!" Serena cried. "Darien!"

The three of them rushed into the lobby-esque area of the building and paused to listen for any further indications of where the shot had come from. After a few minutes, steps were heard coming up from the basement. The trio tensed and the door leading to the basement steps flew open. They all gasped as Darien stumbled out, his midnight blue eyes blank and unseeing, his ebony tresses in mild disarray.

"Darien!" Serena cried, rushing to his side. He didn't appear to even register her presence.

Andrew's eyes narrowed as he sized up his friend. "Hey, Dare, you okay?" The dark-haired man never moved his gaze.

Tears began to fall from Serena's sapphire blues. "Darien, please!" she exclaimed as she grabbed his arm and shook him.

Rita stepped over and placed a calming hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "It's not going to help right now, Serena. Look, why don't you and Andrew go check out the basement? I have a feeling that's where the shot probably came from. I'll take care of Darien here in the lobby." The taller brunette gently guided the dazed man to the padded seats along the right-hand wall.

"Come on, Serena. Let's go," Andrew said, gently leading her toward the basement stairs. "He's in good hands."

Serena nodded, the champion of justice in her coming to the fore. "Let's do this."

"I've been down here a couple of times since they built these special labs," Andrew said as the two blondes exited the stairwell. "The lab Darien usually has his sessions in is this way." He led the way, taking the first left and then right at the end of that hall, Serena keeping her eyes open for anything suspicious.

Finding nothing, she was drawn out of her examination of their surroundings by Andrew's sudden stop. "This is it," he said, pointing at a partially open door.

"Room fifty-two," Serena muttered under her breath as she gently pushed the door open the rest of the way.

The two of them stepped carefully into the small room. Serena immediately noticed a mirror that almost completely covered the right hand wall, a door taking up the remainder of the space. A desk with a comfortable-looking reclining chair sat in the middle of the room, facing the mirror.

"Oh, my! Andrew, look!" Serena cried, pointing.

A crumpled form lay in a pool of blood, partially hidden by the recliner. Andrew's face paled as he stepped forward for a closer look.

"Is it…" Serena trailed off as her blond companion knelt beside the prone form.

"It's Jackson," Andrew confirmed. "He's been shot!" Panic began to creep into his voice.

Serena's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. "Check his pulse! Maybe there's something we can do for him!"

Andrew held his breath and reached out his hand. He waited a moment then shook his head. "Nothing."

"Oh, gods," Serena breathed.

"What I don't get is how or why," Andrew pondered, shaking his head.

"That's what we're going to have to find out," Serena said with a firmness in her voice as she straightened, calling on her inner strength to get her through this. She was starting to think things through, and realized that if Darien had been alone with Jackson in this lab, he would be the prime suspect.

"Serena! I found a gun!" Andrew exclaimed, pointing at a revolver lying on the carpet near the foot of the recliner.

"Don't touch it!" Serena cried. "In fact, we better not touch anything. We don't want to disturb any evidence." Andrew's eyebrow rose. "I've been watching detective movies and mysteries lately," the young woman explained sheepishly.

The blond man smiled. "You're right, though." His brows furrowed. "Did you see a phone nearby? We should call the police and an ambulance."

"I think I saw one near the stairs."

Andrew nodded and headed for the door. As he passed his younger friend, he paused. "Are you going to be okay in here alone?"

She smiled gratefully. "I'll be okay. Go ahead." He nodded and continued on his way.

Once she was alone, Serena took a closer look at her surroundings, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at the fallen form behind the desk. It was a lab unlike any she had seen before from her visits to Amy and Darien in other areas of the campus. The small, windowless room was softly lit by track lighting and was painted a comforting shade of pale blue. The carpet was a light gray, except where the pool of blood had discolored it.

In the far left hand corner two small consoles met, each with a chair in front of it and a panel of a handful of dials and buttons, lights and switches. A pair of headphones appeared to be connected to one of the panels and now hung over the back of the recliner. Serena used the material of the skirt of her dark blue jumper to keep her fingerprints off the headphones as she held them to her ear. No sound came from them. If anything had been playing before the shot, it had been turned off since.

After replacing the headphones, Serena walked over to the door in the mirror-covered wall, flinching slightly as she noticed Darien's satchel leaning against the front of the desk on the floor. He had definitely been in this lab. The door was slightly ajar, so she gently pushed it open the rest of the way, again using her skirt to keep it fingerprint-free. She found an even smaller room, less than seven feet deep, revealing the mirror to actually be two-way glass, allowing an observer to watch the person sitting in the recliner without being seen him or herself. There was a console against the mirrored wall, with two desk chairs. Built into the console were a sophisticated-looking computer terminal, two cassette decks, a multiple CD changer, and a microphone. Several file cabinets stood against the far wall.

Serena couldn't think of what all this equipment could be used for, although she was sure Amy or Darien could explain it, and couldn't remember Darien mentioning anything. And what, if anything, did it have to do with the murder of Jackson Knight?

The muffled sound of hurried footsteps managed to barely reach Serena's ears, so she stepped back into the main laboratory and double-checked that her brief examination hadn't disturbed anything. Soon after, Andrew came back with a woman dressed in a campus security uniform.

"An ambulance is on its way," Andrew said as he stepped over to Serena and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. The two blondes watched as the lady checked Jackson's pulse.

"He's dead, alright," she concurred sadly, looking at the two students soberly. "Are you two okay? Finding a body can be disturbing."

"I'm fine," Andrew assured the officer. "I'm a fourth year med student." The uniformed lady turned her gaze to the meatball-headed blonde.

"I'll be okay," Serena said with a gentle smile.

"As long as you two are sure."

Serena nodded. "My fiancé is up in the lobby and he was really out of it before we came down here. Would it be okay if we went and checked up on him?"

"Alright. Just don't go too far. The police and I are going to need to get statements from both of you."

The two blondes agreed and hurried back to the lobby, where they found Rita gazing sympathetically at Darien, who sat with his face in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. Serena rushed over and sat next to the crestfallen man, her arms encircling him. Darien wordlessly leaned into the embrace, his head falling on her shoulder, and his arms going around her waist.

"He started muttering soon after the two of you left," Rita said as Andrew and Serena focused on her. "He talked about music. He said, 'The music… the music stopped… and he fell down.'"

"It wouldn't surprise me if he was talking about Jackson Knight. We found his body in the lab," Andrew said, subdued.

Rita gasped and swallowed hard. "He went on a little later to say, 'The song… the song is the same… always the same. The song is the same.'"

Andrew looked bewildered while Serena gently squeezed Darien. "That's just weird," the blond man said, shaking his head.

"Maybe Darien saw something," Rita offered.

Andrew shrugged while Serena bit her lower lip. She wasn't completely sure seeing something accounted for the state Darien was in, especially considering everything he had already gone through with a clear head. The petite blonde turned her head and nuzzled her fiancé's dark hair just above his ear. "Darien? It's Serena." His arms squeezed slightly. She smiled. "Do you think you can tell me if you remember anything that happened in the lab?"

Serena could feel Darien's lips moving against her shoulder as he rolled his head back and forth, but no words could be heard. Andrew stepped closer and checked his friend's pulse and eyes with the smaller blonde's help. "He's suffering from a mild form of shock as far as I can tell. Keep holding him; that's as warm as we'll be able to keep him for now." Serena nodded as Darien's movements stopped.

The coherent trio looked out the large windows to either side of the thick oak double doors and saw another campus security car and two Tokyo police cars pull up outside the building. An ambulance was right behind them. A small crowd was beginning to gather, and one of the members of campus security moved to keep them from entering the building.

Three uniformed police officers burst into the lobby accompanied by a middle-aged man with short, dirty brown hair wearing a wrinkled, white, short-sleeved shirt, slightly loose black tie, and a pair of crumpled black slacks. Also with them was a wiry black man about five foot nine inches tall and wearing a campus security uniform with gold braid on the cap and shoulder. Serena's eyes widened at the sight of him.

"That's Captain Steve McMahon," Andrew whispered into the younger blonde's ear, "the new head of campus security." They watched the group head for the basement stairs. "He used to be in the United States Navy as a helicopter pilot from what I've heard."

The sound of the officers rushing in had caused Darien to sit straight upright, his arms still loosely around Serena's waist. He then watched as a medic team from the ambulance followed the officers down to the labs. As he watched the official crowd pass by, his midnight blues clouded in confusion. "What… what's going on?" he finally asked.

The other three looked at each other uncomfortably. Was it possible Darien truly didn't know what had happened? Serena didn't know what to say. If he was in shock, hearing about Jackson Knight's death would not be a good thing.

Serena took her eyes away from Darien's form as Captain McMahon and the rumpled man returned from the basement and approached the quartet.

"I'm Lieutenant Bryan Alexander, homicide, Tokyo PD," the middle-aged man said as he pulled out a slightly tattered notebook from his back pants pocket. "I understand you two found the body," he said, gesturing at Andrew and Serena with his pen.

"Body?" Darien asked, a wild, frightened look forming in his eyes. "What body? Is someone dead?" His arms tightened around Serena's waist out of reflex while his gaze darted to each of the people surrounding him.

Captain McMahon reached out and patted the panicked man on the shoulder. "Calm down, son. Everything will be okay."

Serena followed up the words with a tender squeeze. "Shh, Darien. He's right. Everything will be okay." Her soft words seemed to do the trick, for Darien relaxed slightly, although the wild look was still in his eyes.

The lieutenant returned his focus to Andrew and Serena. "As I was saying, you two found the body?" The two blondes nodded. "Are you both students here?"

"Yes. I'm Andrew Furuhata, and this is Serena Tsukino."

"And these other two?"

"Darien Shields and my girlfriend Rita Blake."

"Students?"

"Darien is, but Rita's just visiting for the week from Germany."

"Okay." Lieutenant Alexander paused as he finished writing in his notebook. "Now I just want to get all the facts straight. What were you all doing here?"

"They were here to meet me," Darien said, his usual mask almost completely back in place.

The lieutenant raised an eyebrow at the unexpected source of information. "Alright then. Where were you when the shooting happened?"

Serena was the only one who caught the brief flash of panic in Darien's eyes before he responded. "I… guess I was in the lab." Confusion was breaking through his stoic exterior.

"You guess? What is that supposed to mean? Either you were or you weren't!" Alexander exploded. "So did you see anything? Who shot this guy… uh, what's his name again?" He turned an expectant look to Captain McMahon.

"Jackson Knight," the dark-skinned man supplied calmly.

"Yeah, that's it, Jackson. So who shot him? Was it you?"

The bluntness of the question shocked Andrew, Rita, and Serena. Their jaws dropped, and Serena's eyes hardened. If this was how Lieutenant Alexander conducted an investigation, no one was very impressed.

"No, no, of course I didn't kill him," Darien protested, squeezing Serena unconsciously. "At least… I don't think I did…" He trailed off, confusion and frustration fighting for dominance on his features.

Alexander let out an explosive breath, annoyed. "Great. It's going to be one of those nights. The four of you are going to have to come down to the station with me. We're going to have to ask you some questions."

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"This is taking forever," Serena complained, sinking even further into the hard plastic chair she was seated on. Andrew held Rita a little closer as they both looked at the meatball-headed blonde with sympathy.

It was almost ten o'clock that night, and the three of them had been questioned extensively. Now they waited with varying degrees of patience on the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the front room of the police station for Darien to finish being interrogated. Several officers were busy at desks around the room, despite the late hour.

"They've been questioning Darien for almost three hours now. I hope they aren't being too hard on him," Rita commented softly.

Andrew and Serena rolled their eyes, remembering Lieutenant Alexander's disposition on campus earlier. Serena had been thinking things through all night, and although she didn't like it, she had reluctantly concluded the police had a reason to question Darien so thoroughly. _She_ knew he'd never kill anyone, but the evidence seemed to point to him.

Just then, Darien stepped out from a hallway branching off the front room accompanied by Lieutenant Alexander and a uniformed officer. Serena's heart clenched at the sight of her beloved's confused, dejected expression. He never even lifted his midnight blue gaze from the floor.

"Can we all go now?" Serena asked hopefully, dreading the answer, as the trio of new arrivals approached.

Alexander cleared his throat awkwardly before answering. "Well, you three can go. We don't have any further questions for you."

"And Darien?" Rita asked anxiously.

"I'm afraid Mr. Shields won't be joining you."

"What are you talking about?" Andrew asked angrily, jumping to his feet. "What's the problem?"

The lieutenant flashed the blonde man an irritated look. "Look, Shields' fingerprints are all over the gun," Serena gasped at this, "he had motive, and he had opportunity."

Serena held her breath as tears filled her eyes. She knew what was coming next, knew it wasn't good, and tried to brace herself for it.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this," Alexander went on emotionlessly, "but I've placed Darien Shields under arrest for the murder of Jackson Knight."


	2. Chapter 2

Power of Suggestion - Chapter 2

by Una Moonstar

ANs: Hmmm... not as popular as Invalid Response, I see. That's okay; I know people will like this one too. In that spirit, here's the next installment!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

"But that's impossible!" Rita protested, stepping toward Serena.

The meatball-headed blonde released the breath she was holding, and the tears that had been pooling in her eyes followed. Her watery gaze never left Darien's face as Rita wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. The ebony-haired man stared at the floor, but Serena could see the bright red color of his cheeks.

Andrew stepped in front of the ladies. "You've got the wrong suspect," he said heatedly.

"That's for a court to decide," Alexander told him.

"Can we at least have a few minutes to talk to Darien?" Serena asked pleadingly. Darien's eyes closed at the sound of her voice.

The lieutenant's gaze went from the petite blonde's tear-streaked face to the flushed faces of Andrew and Rita. "Fine," he spit out. "But make it short."

Serena rushed to Darien and gently led him to the chairs she and the others had been sitting in most of the evening. Andrew sat on the other side of his best friend. "How are you doing, Dare?" he asked.

Darien was anything but his usual confident self. His face was haggard, and his gaze darted around nervously. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaned forward with Serena's arm draped across his back, and breathed deeply for a short moment. "I… guess I'm okay," he finally answered. "I called my lawyer and Amy, figuring you'd forget about the girls." He shot a brief look at the woman at his side.

She smiled and shrugged. "What did you tell her?"

He sighed. "That I didn't want to go into details, but you'd be calling, probably late, to explain."

"That was cryptic," Andrew noted. Darien shrugged.

Serena watched her fiancé carefully. Something was off. She would have expected him to be reacting much more strongly to being accused of something they both knew he would never do. But instead he seemed only depressed and confused.

After a moment of silence, Darien shook his head and sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't post bail. I can't believe this." He turned his drooping head to look Serena in the face. "I am so sorry. You don't deserve to go through this. I am so, so sorry."

Serena's face hardened and she grabbed Darien's head, forcing him to make and keep eye contact with her. "Now, listen here, Darien Shields," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. "You didn't do this, no matter what the evidence says. _I_ know you didn't, and underneath it all _you_ know you didn't. I'm not going to sit back and let you wallow in self-pity. You are going to post bail and we are all going to figure out exactly what happened in that lab. I love you far too much to leave you in the lurch when you need me the most. Do you understand me?"

Darien's eyes began to sparkle as he saw the complete sincerity behind her words. He grabbed her and held her to himself fiercely. "I love you, Serena. I love you." He nuzzled his face in her hair. "You do realize you're too good for me, don't you?"

"No, because it's not true," she said into his shoulder.

The ebony-haired man finally released his blonde, meatball-headed beloved and smiled. "Thank you," he said softly. Then he turned his head to look at the other couple. "And you guys too. Thanks." He smirked slightly. "Welcome back, Rita."

The brunette grinned back. "Why thank you. It's good to be back. I forgot how exciting Tokyo was."

Darien chuckled then turned back to Serena. "Go ahead and get whatever money you need from my account. I don't know how much bail will be or if I'll be able to post it myself, but I'll be able to cover it."

Serena's eyes widened. "How am I supposed to do that? It's your account!"

"Don't you remember all those papers I had you sign after your eighteenth birthday? You can sign my checks and access my accounts when I'm not able to. There were also some things about life insurance beneficiaries and such. I'll explain everything later. For now, know that you can access my account by check or cash withdrawal."

Tears formed in the petite blonde's eyes. "You trust me that much?"

Darien smiled gently. "With my life, and everything else."

Lieutenant Alexander had been waiting impatiently a few feet away. Now he walked over and cleared his throat. "Sorry, kids. Time's up."

"Can't we bail Darien out tonight?" Andrew asked quickly, seeing both his friends' faces fall at the announcement.

The lieutenant shook his head. "You'll have to wait until the arraignment tomorrow morning. Mr. Shields here is going to have to accept our hospitality tonight."

Darien borrowed a pen and paper from the middle-aged man and wrote a brief message. "This is the name of my lawyer and his number," he said as he handed the slip to Serena. "I left a message on his answering machine, but I'd appreciate it if you called him too."

The young woman promised as Andrew patted the ebony-haired man on the shoulder and Rita gave him a brief hug. Serena smiled shyly then went up on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. Darien tried to make it linger, but regretfully let it go. The petite blonde grinned. "We'll see you tomorrow," she said softly.

"I'll only be looking for you," Darien replied. Then Alexander led him away.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

A police officer drove Serena, Andrew, and Rita back to Crown Arcade. During the ride, Serena sat quietly, going over everything in her mind.

"Hey, Serena. You've been awfully quiet since we left the police station," Rita said just before the three of them went into the building.

"Yeah, it's not like you. What's up?" Andrew asked.

Serena looked at her friends and sighed. "This really doesn't look good for Darien, guys. So far all the evidence points to him as Jackson's murderer. He was the only one in the lab, his fingerprints are on the gun, and he doesn't have an alibi." The couple in front of her raised their eyebrows. "I said I've been watching detective stories and mysteries lately. Can I help it if they've rubbed off?"

Andrew shook his head while Rita smiled. "Well, all I have to say is that the evidence must be wrong."

"Rita's right. Darien would never do this in a million years," Andrew added.

Serena smiled and nodded in agreement, knowing they were right. She only hoped they could prove it before it was too late.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The next morning's gentle sunshine foretold a beautiful day to come as a large group of young adults exited the courthouse around nine o'clock. "I'm glad Darien's free again!" Mina chirped as they stopped at the head of the concrete stairs.

Serena smiled. "I know it meant a lot to him that you all were here. Thank you."

Lita scoffed. "Like we'd be anywhere else."

Greg placed his hand on Serena's arm causing her to turn and face him. "I'll take the guys and wait at the bottom of the stairs. You guys deserve to talk to him first."

The petite blonde hugged him. "Thanks. We shouldn't be too long, once he's done talking to Mr. Anderson." She released him and gestured to where Darien stood on the steps speaking with a tall, thin man with short brown hair graying at the temples.

Greg nodded and led Chad, Ken, and Jamie down the stairs.

"You know, I couldn't believe it when you called last night, but this just drives it home." Raye shook her head. "Heck, I still can't really believe it, but I know it's true."

"We were there last night and we still can't believe it," Andrew said from where he stood with Rita. She nodded in agreement.

"Is it just me, or was the bail that was set amazingly high?" Lita asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's not just you," Amy concurred softly.

Serena stood and gazed at her fiancé. He seemed a bit dazed during the arraignment, but was alert enough now. Her eyes continued down the steps, pausing briefly on the four boyfriends gathered on the sidewalk before settling on two men exiting a cab. One was middle-aged, with dark brown hair and a close-cropped beard and mustache wearing a white, short sleeve dress shirt and black slacks, while the other looked to be in his mid-twenties with short blond hair wearing a navy blue short sleeve polo and khaki pants. When they started up the stairs, the petite blonde noticed the older man wearing a pair of gold wire-rimmed glasses and the younger man sporting an expensive pair of sunglasses.

"Professor Davis, Damien," Darien said as they reached his position on the stairs. His startled expression was the most animated his face had looked all morning, Serena noted, except for the brief smile he had given her when he had entered the courtroom.

"I can't believe this, Darien," the professor said, shaking his head. Darien blanched at the half-accusing, half-bewildered tone. "He was one of the most promising researchers I've ever worked with, and now he's gone."

"Professor Davis…" Darien began before getting cut off by the younger man.

"Well, Jackson was the _best_ research assistant _I've_ ever worked with!" the blond man shouted, making Darien take a step back. The lawyer behind him narrowed his gray eyes. "And you killed him in cold blood! I knew you two hated each other, but _that_ much? Heaven forbid _I_ ever piss you off, Darien! Where do you get off?"

"Come on now, professor, Mr. Vrice," Lieutenant Alexander interrupted. He had been coming down the stairs when the new arrivals had met up with Darien and hurried down when the shouting started. He smoothly guided the pair around the shocked Darien and led them into the courthouse.

The ebony-haired man reeled like he had been slapped. Immediately, Andrew and the girls rushed to his side, Serena wrapping her arms around him. Darien absently put an arm around the petite blonde.

"Why don't we go over to the temple, Darien?" Serena offered gently while giving him a comforting squeeze. "Raye and Lita offered to make breakfast for everyone, and I'm sure you could use the food."

Darien nodded. Mr. Anderson put his hand on the upset man's shoulder. "I've got to get going, but I'll keep you up to date on how this is going."

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I appreciate everything you're doing for me."

"No problem." The lawyer smiled. "It's my job. And if it makes you feel any better, something tells me you really didn't do it." With that, he clapped his client a couple of times and left.

Soon after, everyone squeezed into Darien and Andrew's cars and headed for the temple. Raye declared the kitchen off limits, and she and Lita started in on breakfast. The other women began to set up tables, chairs, and dishes in the back, leaving the men gathered in the front of the temple.

"I want to thank you guys for being there this morning. It meant a lot to me," Darien said.

"Anytime, Darien," Greg responded with a smile.

"Like you had eyes for anyone but Serena," Andrew said, laughing. Darien shrugged, smiling.

"I know I wouldn't have been any different. Raye would have been the only one I was looking for," Chad said with a shrug.

"And she'd fry you if you did anything else," Ken added.

The men laughed. "I'm going to go check on how they're doing in back," Jamie said, starting to move in that direction.

"I'll come with you," Ken offered.

"I'd better check on that new assistant. This makes two weeks he's been here, but we still have to be careful. Would you believe that Raye even said he made my first two weeks here look professional?" Chad said disbelievingly.

"If Raye said that, you'd better get moving," Darien said while Andrew and Greg chuckled. Chad left.

"Whatever happened to the new assistant that started with the beginning of summer session?" Andrew asked.

Darien smirked. "He decided it was safer in the long run to go to college in the fall after all and got a job at McDonald's. I guess between Raye's temper and Chad's threats for looking at her the wrong way he felt his life was in danger."

"I wonder why," Andrew said sarcastically.

When the laughter died down, Darien turned to Greg speculatively. "Did you see any of this?"

Greg looked him straight in the eye while Andrew looked on, confused. "Honestly, no, Darien. This is something I would have warned you about."

"Do you see anything for the future?"

"I haven't yet. If I do, I'll let you know."

Darien nodded. "That's all I can ask. Thanks."

"What are the two of you talking about?" Andrew asked.

Greg smiled. "I have a… gift. Sometimes I get visions of the future. They tend to be accurate."

The blond man's eyebrows rose. "Cool."

Just then, Jamie and Ken came back. "Everything's ready back there if you'd like to join the ladies," Ken said. The five men proceeded to do so.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

After everyone was pretty much finished, with people randomly picking at the leftover food, Serena sighed and turned to Darien. "If we're going to figure out what really happened in that lab, you're going to have to explain a few things."

"Hold it," Amy said as Darien nodded. "We can't get involved in a police investigation. We're going to have to let the police get to the bottom of this."

"Amy, the police, and Lieutenant Alexander in particular, think they already have their man. They aren't going to do any serious digging," Rita explained.

"So the only way the truth is going to come out is if we find it, huh?" Lita asked.

"Pretty much," Andrew agreed. "Alexander doesn't strike me as a guy who's willing to entertain too many different possibilities. Besides, with just the evidence they have now they'll probably be able to convict."

Darien flinched. "Andrew's right. I don't think the police are going to be much help."

Amy glanced around the table and sighed. "Alright. But we have to be careful."

"Of course we will!" Mina exclaimed. "Can't have the cops getting in our way, now can we?"

Raye sighed. "Shore in the enthusiasm, Miss Eager Beaver. This is going to call for subtlety."

Mina smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Right." Jamie gave her a brief hug.

"Well, Miss Detective," Darien said with a smile to Serena, "what questions did you have to ask?"

The meatball-headed blonde blushed. "Well, to start with, what did that blond guy – Damien Vrice, was it?" Darien nodded. "What did Damien mean when he said you hated Jackson?"

The ebony-haired man sighed. "I didn't hate him. I can't say I cared for him all that much, but I respected him. I knew he did good work for Professor Davis. He just had a way about him that rubbed me the wrong way."

"I think he had that affect on everyone," Jamie said as he grabbed a few more pieces of bacon. "I took one of Davis' psychology classes this last semester and Jackson was the teaching assistant. He was really hard on everyone and tended to lay the sarcasm on thick. For someone studying psychology, he sure could have used some help with his people skills."

Serena remembered the conversation at the Student Union. "He still seemed to have singled you out, Darien."

His brows furrowed. "I know. I'm not sure exactly why. When I first met him when this class started, we got along fine. Everything changed once I got involved in the study."

"Why would that change anything?" Raye asked, scooping more scrambled eggs onto Chad's plate. He sighed and started eating them.

"I can't be sure, but he did find out about my past since he was going to be directly involved with the data of the study. Professor Davis assured me he could be trusted."

Andrew scoffed. "Guess he was off the mark that time."

Darien shook his head. "No, I wouldn't say that. Jackson never said anything. He just… treated me differently."

"What about that confrontation in class about amnesia?" Rita asked.

Midnight blue eyes widened in shock. "How did you know about that?"

Serena smacked him in the arm. "You _should_ have told me, but Andrew, Rita, and I overheard a group of people in your class talking about it yesterday, and then Jackson Knight himself came up and confirmed it."

"He talked to you yesterday?" Darien didn't know why, but that thought made him angry.

"Yeah." Serena blushed. "I yelled at him for goading you in front of everyone knowing you wouldn't say anything personal and what your situation was."

Darien smiled and hugged her briefly. "I love you."

"What is this about a confrontation?" Amy asked. Despite her earlier reluctance, the blue-haired girl was obviously interested now.

"Okay. He challenged me a few times in class."

"Four times," Serena interrupted.

Darien thought a moment. "That sounds right. Each time we ended up nearly at each other's throats while we took up the whole period. It took everything in me not to hit him repeatedly. Every time at the next subliminal session he'd apologize and we'd work it out. I don't know if _he_ even understood why he did what he did. We didn't exactly like each other, but I didn't hate him."

Serena bit her lower lip while Amy shook her head. "This isn't good, Darien," the blue-haired genius said seriously. "With your history of near-violent encounters the prosecution has a motive for you. They can say you killed Jackson in a fit of anger. They'll probably say you two fought again, and this time you snapped."

"No!" Darien protested. "That isn't how it happened! It can't be!"

Serena placed a placating hand on his arm. "So tell us what really happened in the lab."

"That's the problem!" Darien cried, giving Serena a pleading look. "I'm sure I didn't kill Jackson – I _know_ I didn't – but… maybe I did. I don't know!" He put his hand over the one Serena had on his arm and squeezed tightly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Mina asked breathlessly as everyone at the table stared at Darien in shock.

Darien turned from Serena to look at the red bow adorned blonde helplessly. "It's like I told the police. Everything from the moment I walked in to the psych building to the moment Andrew, Rita, and Serena found me in the lobby is a complete blank. It feels like my memories have been erased. I can't remember anything!"

Everyone gasped. "How could you forget everything?" Lita asked.

Serena noticed that with Darien's announcement any thought of the food on the table was gone. Everybody just stared at Darien instead of absently picking at the remains of breakfast. Darien himself was starting to get wild-eyed and panicky, and began to sweat. His breath was coming in short, shallow gasps as he ran his hands through his hair. Serena threw her arms around him. "Darien, it's okay. Calm down. Please."

"Sometimes a severe shock can have this effect," Amy explained. "A person sees something he or she can't deal with, so that person experiences amnesia about the incident. My mom's dealt with a couple people like that." She shot a quick look at Serena.

Darien's breathing slowed and he gently returned Serena's embrace. "That's right," he said, looking at Amy. "I forgot about that effect. But I want to assure you guys that I am _not_ capable of killing anyone. And I'll help you prove it any way I can."

"We know, Darien. We'll do whatever we have to do to prove your innocence," Raye said gently. Everyone else at the table nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," Darien replied with a smile. "Now what can I do to help?"

"I'm afraid you can't do anything, Darien," Amy responded. "You're the prime suspect in a murder case. The best thing you can do is keep a low profile and stay out of trouble."

Serena looked at him carefully. "There is _one_ thing you can do, Darien."

He looked down at her. "And what's that, Miss Detective?"

"Go home and get some sleep. You look exhausted."

He grinned lightly and gave a reluctant, weary nod. "I didn't sleep well last night. But what about my classes?"

"Do you have any tests?" Lita asked.

"No, those were last week."

"You can't tell me that you, of all people, can't afford to miss a day of classes," Andrew said disbelievingly.

Darien sighed and gave in. "Fine, fine. I can miss a day of classes. I'll go home and nap." He tried to smother a yawn. "I guess I do need the sleep."

Serena gave him a brief kiss. "You most certainly do."

"So what are you going to be up to?"

"Investigating," the petite blonde replied, wiggling her eyebrows.

Darien laughed. "Okay, I'll leave you to it. Keep me informed, though, will you?"

"Of course." The couple kissed, and Darien left for his apartment.

Serena gazed after him for a moment then turned back to the occupants of the table. "Could a couple of you make sure he gets his rest? He really needs to relax."

Andrew looked at his girlfriend, who nodded. "We'll take care of it, Serena. We'll stop by in a little while."

Serena smiled. "Thanks."

"So what's next?" Lita asked as she and Ken stood and began to stack the dirty dishes.

Serena thought about it for a minute. "I think we should talk to someone who's involved with the subliminal suggestion studies and find out what it's like. Darien already explained the specific study he's in."

"That makes sense, Serena," Amy concurred.

"The subliminal suggestion studies? Like the ones Professor Davis is running?" Jamie asked while Lita, Ken, Chad, and Mina took in most of the dishes.

"Professor Davis' studies are exactly what we're talking about. Do you know someone involved in one?" Amy inquired.

Jamie grinned. "Sure do. Me."

Serena matched his expression. "Cool! So, how does all that stuff in those labs work?"

"I don't know if everything was the same in Darien's lab or not, but in the study group's lab there was a desk in the center of the room facing a mirrored wall with a small door at one end. There's a small panel of lights and switches against the opposite wall. There is the most comfortable recliner behind the desk that has tons of different positions. I sit in that chair, put on a pair of headphones, and listen to music the whole hour. There's supposed to be some sort of message, but I've never heard anything."

"That's because you only hear it subconsciously," Amy said.

"Did you have a session yesterday afternoon?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. I have one every Thursday at three."

"Did you see Darien?"

"Nope. I usually hang around for a little while and talk with Damien and see Jackson go up to his office. Yesterday Damien had some work to take care of before meeting his girlfriend at their apartment, so I ended up walking out with Professor Davis and talking in the parking lot for about fifteen, twenty minutes. I bet we were the last ones in the building."

"Did you see Jackson?" Amy asked.

"No. He must have been running late."

"He was," Serena confirmed. "He said when he left the Union that he was in danger of being late."

"Did you see anyone else? Anyone at all?" Greg asked.

Jamie frowned and tapped his chin with a finger. His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah! Now that I think about it, there _was_ someone. He was going in as we were leaving!"

"Who was it?" Raye asked urgently.

"Just some middle-aged guy in a light windbreaker and jogging pants. I never saw him before – figured he was a professor that forgot something."

"I'm sure some professors fit that description," Amy said thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should look through the faculty pictures in a yearbook," Raye suggested. "I wonder who it was. I mean, if he was still in the building he could be a witness!"

"Or a killer. Don't rule that out," Serena added grimly. "Jamie, keep your eyes open for this guy, okay?"

"You bet," he said with a wink.

"I didn't know you were taking classes this summer," Raye commented.

Jamie smiled. "Only a couple. I had to so I could stay active in the study group. I've been doing better since I joined, and I didn't want to mess that up."

"Is there anyone else in this study group we could get a hold of? Or maybe you know someone in the amnesia study?" Amy asked.

"I don't know anyone but Darien in the amnesia study, and no one in the sleep disorder study. But the study group… there's only six of us… maybe Autumn Green and Morgan DeMarco. They're roommates on campus, but I don't know if they're in class."

"Morgan DeMarco?" Rita asked, surprised. "Wasn't she the girl who stopped Jackson on his way out of the Union yesterday?"

"Yeah, and she seemed pretty upset, too," Andrew answered.

"I think that's our next stop then. We should talk to those two, especially Morgan," Serena said.

"That's cool, but I have to get to class. I'll talk to you guys later," Jamie said as he stood. He grabbed a few of the remaining dishes and went into the temple.

Amy bit her lip and looked at Greg for a moment. He shrugged. "Greg and I were going to go out for lunch, but if you need us…"

Serena's eyes widened. "No, no! You guys go ahead! Someone else can come with me!"

"Are you sure?" Amy looked doubtful.

"Of course! Go ahead! I'll fill you in later!"

The blue-haired woman smiled. "Thanks. But if you need me, give me a call." She tapped her wrist meaningfully.

Serena nodded. "You bet. Should we meet here later then?" She looked at Raye.

"That sounds good," the dark-haired priestess agreed. "Why don't we say three o'clock unless something else comes up?"

"Works for me," Amy said.

"I don't have a problem," Greg added.

"We should be able to make it, too," Rita said.

"And we'll bring Darien," Andrew said.

"We'll tell everyone in the temple then," Serena concluded. "You four get going." She grinned as she shooed the couples off with hand motions.

Laughing, they complied, leaving Serena and Raye standing alone near the table. They grabbed the rest of the dishes and took them into the temple, finding the remaining members of the group in the middle of doing the others. They handed their dishes to Mina, who was scraping the leftover food either into a storage bowl or the garbage, depending on Lita's instructions. The tall brunette was next in line washing the dishes, and she handed them to Ken, who dried them. Last in line was Chad, who was putting everything away.

Raye and Serena stood back and watched the process for a bit, both smiling huge grins. "Too bad they can't be this efficient all the time," Raye commented. Serena giggled.

"Very funny, Raye," Lita answered without turning around. "Would you like the rest of these dishes in one piece? It's amazing how slippery this dish soap makes them."

"Okay, okay, I'm done," Raye conceded. "Serena needs someone to go with her to interview a couple of people. Any volunteers?"

"Why don't you go, Raye?" Mina asked.

"I can't leave you guys cleaning up a mess I'm responsible for," the priestess protested.

"We're already in the middle of it, and Chad's here," Ken refuted.

"Go ahead, Raye. I'll make sure everything's taken care of," Chad said, smiling.

Raye blew out a breath and sent her bangs fluttering. "Oh, fine. Be that way. Come on, Meatball Head." She turned and started walking quickly out of the temple.

"Don't call me that! Hey! Wait up!" Serena called, scurrying to catch up with the dark-haired priestess.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"I hope they're here," Raye said as the two young women approached Room 106 of Takeuchi Hall. They had found the address in the campus directory after they had walked over to the campus.

Serena shrugged and knocked, and a few moments later the door opened, revealing a slim, pretty girl peering out. Although it was almost noon, it looked like she had just gotten out of bed, with her bathrobe on and her hair uncombed. The girl ran a hand shakily through her chin-length chocolate brown hair and used the other to wipe at her red-rimmed gray eyes. It looked like she had been crying. "Yes?" she asked softly.

"Autumn Green?" Serena asked.

"That would be me. How can I help you?"

"My name is Serena Tsukino and this is Raye Hino."

"I'm a friend of Darien Shields and this is his fiancé," Raye added.

"Darien? Oh! This must be about Jackson then. Come in." Autumn opened the door a little wider to let the other two girls in.

The room certainly looked lived in. The nearest half was covered in posters, and books and papers were strewn across the unmade bed. The far side was a little neater, with only a few posters and a pile of books beside a laptop computer on the desk. "Please excuse the mess. We have yet to recover from midterms. If anyone tells you summer term classes are easier, don't believe them." She cleared a spot for herself on her bed and sat down. A few more tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I take it you've heard about Jackson Knight's death," Serena said gently.

"And I've been a wreck ever since. It's like no one can talk about anything else."

"Gossip," Raye scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Can't keep a secret on this campus," Autumn agreed. "I don't remember seeing either of you around. Are you students?"

"Yeah. Just finished our freshman year," Serena confirmed, smiling.

"We haven't spent a lot of time on campus, though, so we're trying to find out more about Jackson," Raye said.

Autumn frowned. "I don't know what to tell you. Everyone says Darien killed Jackson, but that just doesn't seem possible. They had some pretty big arguments but Darien seems so nice! Reserved, but nice."

Serena tried to keep her smile in check. "What about Jackson?"

Autumn beamed. "Oh, he was such a sweetheart."

Raye's eyebrows rose. "I got the impression that he wasn't all that well liked."

The brunette waved off the comment. "Oh, he pushed a little hard, and could be a little sarcastic. He had high standards. Underneath it all, he was a great guy… and so mysterious!"

"Mysterious?" Serena asked.

"He didn't like to talk about his past very much, and from the few hints he dropped, his life sounded kind of rough. You know," Autumn pondered, "it's amazing how alike he and Darien were. That's another dark, mysterious man."

Serena blushed and cleared her throat. "Yes, well, um, what about your roommate? How well did Morgan DeMarco know Jackson?"

Autumn's gaze turned frosty. "You'd have to ask her."

Both standing girls were taken back by the sudden change in attitude. "Okay," Serena continued somewhat meekly. "Do you know where we could find her?"

"She could be in class; I don't know for sure." The slim brunette eyed them suspiciously. "How do I know you really know Darien? And fiancé? I've never heard of him having a fiancé. Maybe you're just a couple of morbid snoops! I think you should leave."

Serena sighed as tears welled up in her eyes while Raye started fuming. "Oh, and _you_ know Darien inside and out? Let me tell you…"

"Raye," the petite blonde interrupted. She looked at the brunette perched haughtily on the messy bed as she steered her fiery friend toward the door. "When you see Morgan, could you tell her we'd like to talk to her? She can reach us at the Hikawa Shrine. If we aren't there she's more than welcome to leave a message or someone will let her know where and how to reach us."

Autumn merely glared at them coldly.

Serena sighed again and pushed Raye completely out of the room. "Thanks anyway for your time," she said before closing the door behind her.

Raye scowled at the shut door. "Talk about a one eighty. It went from warm to ice faster than Amy can say Shine Aqua Illusion," she muttered.

"I know," Serena agreed. "Although I have to wonder why. And considering what she said about Jackson I also have to wonder if something from his past caught up with him," she continued as the two young women headed for the exit.

Raye nodded. "That's a possibility. What about Darien's?"

"What do you mean?" Serena asked as they walked out the front doors of the dormitory and headed for a bench beside a walking trail that snaked all around campus.

"Well, what if Jackson wasn't the target?" the priestess asked as they sat down.

A look of panic flew across the blonde's features. "I never thought of that. Oh, gods! Darien could still be in danger!"

"Calm down!" Raye snapped. "It doesn't mean he is. Besides, the idea here is to get to the truth. One way or the other that will solve the problem. Now what do you know about Darien's past?"

Serena looked down at the ground. "We finally sat down and told each other everything right before he proposed. He said… afterward… that he had wanted there to be no secrets before I decided whether or not I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. From what he told me I can't think of any enemies he would have that would do something like this."

Raye smiled. "Okay, I'll take your word for it; we can always ask Darien later if necessary too. So where to next, Sherlock?"

Serena mock glared at her friend and thought for a moment. "Well, this study and their psychology class are what Darien and Jackson had in common, and Professor Davis runs both. So we should probably talk to him."

"Not bad. I always knew you could use that brain of yours if you tried."

"Ha, ha. Now give me your phone and let me check his schedule." Serena snatched the offered device and called the psychology office. She talked to someone briefly and handed it back. "He's free in about ten minutes. Let's go."

"Wait a second," Raye said with a look of light concentration on her face. "I'm getting a bad feeling. Let me check on Darien." She quickly dialed the number. "Hey, Andrew. Is Darien there?" Violet eyes widened and her skin paled.

"Raye, what is it? What happened? Is Darien okay?" Raye only handed the phone to the panicking blonde in response. "Hello?" she asked.

"Serena?" Andrew's voice answered.

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"Well, I was just telling Raye that Darien got a phone call from his lawyer and took off."

"What did Mr. Anderson have to say?"

"It wasn't good news, and Darien did not look happy when he stormed out of here. I guess Damien Vrice said some nasty things to the police, but that's not the worst of it. It turns out that the gun used in the shooting is registered to Vrice, and reported stolen about two weeks ago. Supposedly the last time he saw it was when he showed it to Darien when the two of them had gotten together at Vrice's place."

"Oh, gods! This is not good! Do you know where he went?"

"No. Rita and I were about to follow him when you guys called."

"I have a feeling he's headed to the campus, probably to find Vrice. Get here as soon as you can. We'll keep our eyes out."

"Got it. Be there as soon as we can." With that Andrew hung up.

"We have to look for Darien," Serena said urgently, turning to Raye. "He's headed this way, and he's beyond angry."

"What about Davis?"

"Maybe we should call in Mina and Lita since we know they should be available by now. It would probably be best for me not to go anyway. Professor Davis knows me and how close I am to Darien."

"I'll call them," Raye offered.

"Good. Have the guys come too. We may need their help with Darien. I'll contact Amy and Greg."

"Right." Raye began to dial her cell phone while Serena used her communicator. Soon everything was arranged and everyone was headed toward the campus.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

While Serena, Raye, and the others were looking for Darien, Mina and Lita headed for the psychology building to talk to Professor Davis. "Now what exactly are we looking for again?" Mina asked as the two of them reached the large oak double doors.

"Raye said to get information about the studies he's running and what he knows about the relationship between Darien and Jackson if we can," Lita responded.

"And why couldn't Serena do this? Other than Darien?"

"I guess the good doctor knows her and her relationship to Darien. He might not be willing to tell her anything."

"That makes sense," Mina agreed.

Just then the two young women reached the psychology department office. They saw Professor Davis just unlocking his office door as he returned from class. "Professor Davis!" Mina called, hurrying over. Lita followed. "Could we talk to you for a few moments?"

The man turned. "Of course." He looked at them closely. "I'm sorry; I don't seem to recall either of you. Are you in one of my classes?"

They shared a look, both relieved he didn't remember them from the steps of the courthouse that morning. "Um, no. Actually we're reporters for the campus newspaper," Lita said with a smile.

The professor returned a frown. "I've already given a statement to the press. Your editor should have told you that," he said, slightly irritated.

"Oh, she did," Mina jumped in. "But we're not here to ask you about the murder. Bea was actually looking for a story on your studies, kind of like a background piece. It might even end up a positive spin on all this." Mina ended her spiel with her classic charming grin.

"Oh!" Professor Davis said, startled. "If that's the case, come on in." He opened the door to his office and graciously allowed the girls entry before him. "Please, have a seat," he offered, shutting the door and heading for his desk. Mina and Lita gratefully sat in the two wooden chairs facing it, enjoying the air-conditioned room. "I have to admit I love talking about my work. It's my lifelong passion, second to my wife of course." He smiled.

Mina returned it. "That's sweet."

"I apologize for the way I snapped at you earlier; this whole business has been getting to me. Jackson Knight was more than just an assistant; he was like a son to me. And when I heard the police thought that one of my undergraduate students was responsible…" The older man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to think. A lot just doesn't seem to make sense."

Mina pulled a small notebook out of the bag she had brought along. "Wasn't Darien Shields involved in one of the studies you're running this summer?" she asked, pencil poised.

"Yes. He was a good man, sincere, ambitious, and truly devoted to gaining knowledge and understanding. Of course I knew about his past and the problems stemming from it, but I never expected something like this to happen. It's so tragic. The police seem sure they have their killer, although they're going through an investigation all the same. I hear they've been conducting interviews all over campus this morning; I gave my statement earlier when they asked me to identify the body." The man shuddered. "Anyway," he continued, refocusing his attention on Mina and Lita, "I said I didn't wish to speak about the murder and there I went. Sorry about that. You wanted to discuss my work?"

Mina hid the gnashing of her teeth in frustration. If only she could get him to keep talking about Jackson! She started to wrack her brain to come up with a way to turn the discussion subtly.

"I heard a rumor that's been going around campus. They say Darien Shields can't remember anything about last night. How is that possible?" Lita asked.

_That'll work_, Mina thought.

Professor Davis smiled. "That's a very good question. You see, when the human mind is confronted with something that it can't deal with, a common response is to shut it out and not remember it. It appears to have happened here. The worst part is that soon everything may come back to him in a devastating rush. It could be a shattering blow."

Lita and Mina looked at each other. Professor Davis certainly sounded sincerely concerned and confused about what had happened to Darien. "I heard the studies were using subliminal suggestion tapes. Could that have anything to do with Darien's memory loss?" Mina asked, turning back to the professor.

"I would have to say no. Nothing in any of my studies would induce a memory loss. Indeed, the study Darien was involved in was meant to produce the exact opposite response." The professor grinned. "You two are certainly clever. You've managed to bring me back to your original question. So what did you want to know about my work?"

"I understand that you're currently running three studies. Is that right?" the blonde asked.

"That's correct. I have my sleep disorder study, amnesia study, and a learning ability study."

"That last one involves a study group, right? And then individual sessions once a week?"

Davis furrowed his brows. "How did you know so much?"

Mina blushed. "My… boyfriend is involved in that study. That's what got me so interested in your work."

The older man's expression softened. "That explains it. Yes, you're right. That one is Damien's pet project; I'm really only overseeing it, although it's following the pattern and methods I set up for it."

"Damien?" Lita asked.

"Damien Vrice," the professor clarified. "He's been working as my assistant for over five years now, my full time assistant for the last year. Now that he has his PhD he'll be running his own studies and classes next semester."

"So how does the subliminal suggestion work with all these studies?" Lita asked.

"Well, I consider them an aid more than an actual method. The idea is to help plant the idea that it is possible for the person listening to overcome whatever problems they're having, be it the inability to fall asleep, study efficiently, or remember something. I'm also conducting personal hypnosis sessions on those members of the amnesia study. By regressing them back slowly through their lives I can sort of sneak up on whatever mental blocks are keeping the lost memories from being accessed. The subliminal messages this group is getting I'm hoping will help the subjects meet me halfway, get them to subconsciously believe they can remember. Part of my theory is that once a patient is told they will not be able to remember, the patient subconsciously prevents himself from doing so, because he's not 'supposed' to."

"That is _so_ fascinating, professor," Mina gushed.

"Is the school funding these projects?" Lita asked, ignoring her blonde friend.

"In part. I received a government grant to cover the remaining expenses of the amnesia study, a non-profit organization is taking care of the sleep disorder study, and a private business is the benefactor of the study group. We even had the United States military come in and offer to fund our projects."

"So the U.S. military _isn't_ involved?" Mina asked, confused.

"No," Professor Davis stated firmly. "I wasn't about to give them information they would use to try and program the perfect soldier. I found my funding elsewhere."

"Would you mind if we asked where, other than the government, of course," Lita asked.

"Of course not. It's a matter of public record. The Sleep Disorder Foundation is the non-profit organization funding that particular study, and Positive Thinking, Inc. is helping with the learning techniques study. There's a lot of money to be made in subliminal message tapes nowadays, and I suppose the more up-to-date your information and techniques are, the more likely you are to stay financially competitive."

"Sounds about right to me," Mina agreed.

Professor Davis smiled. "It's nice talking to bright, interested students. What did you say your names were?"

"Oh! How awful! I knew I forgot something! My name is Mina Aino!"

"And I'm Lita Kino."

"Mina, Lita, it's been a pleasure. I hope you take some of my classes next year. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

The girls looked at each other for a moment. "Yes," Mina said tentatively. "Do you think we could visit Positive Thinking and get their viewpoint? This is going to be a great article."

"I don't see why not. Let me call and check for you." He dialed and waited a moment. "Hi, this is Simon Davis calling. Is Jeffrey Cross in? Thanks. Jeff!" he continued after a pause. "This is Simon Davis. Doing fine, thanks. Look, I have a couple of ladies from the campus newspaper here doing a story on subliminals. Do you think you could find some time this afternoon to talk to them? Around two?" He looked at the girls for confirmation; they nodded. "That would be fine. I'll send them on over. Talk to you soon. Bye."

"Thank you so much, professor," Lita said once he had hung up the phone.

"Not a problem. I must say this interview was a wonderful distraction from the unpleasantness of the last twelve hours or so." He stood and grabbed his bag. "Unfortunately, I have a class in a few minutes."

The girls stood as well. "Oh, we understand, professor. Thank you for your time." Mina smiled at him as they all headed for the door.

"One last thing," Lita said as they reached it. "I know we left the subject of Jackson Knight's murder behind a while ago, but where were _you_ when it happened?"

Davis scowled. "Are you suggesting I had something to do with his death?" he asked menacingly.

Lita realized she had gone too far. "No, of course not!" the tall brunette cried. Mina bit her lip, nervously awaiting the older man's response.

The taller girl's answer seemed to calm the spectacled man. "Well, let me see. That was about five thirty according to the police, which puts me… in the shower while my wife was fixing dinner I believe. I live relatively close to the campus. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get to class." He locked his office door behind him and the three headed out of the building.

Lita and Mina watched the middle-aged man walk off toward one of the buildings across campus. "Aren't all the psychology classes held in this building?" Lita asked.

"He's running a Psychology and Literature class with Professor Brice Rooke. Jamie's taking it," Mina responded.

"Oh." Lita looked speculatively at the blonde. "That was some good thinking back there, getting us in to see that Jeffrey Cross at Positive Thinking."

Mina smiled. "Thanks."

"But don't you think the rest was a bit thick?" Lita asked with a smirk.

The blonde woman shrugged. "He seemed to like it." A movement from across the open lawn in front of the psych building caught her eye. "Hey, Lita, isn't that Damien Vrice?" she asked, pointing to a blond man in a navy shirt, khaki pants, and sunglasses.

"Yeah, and it looks like he's headed this way."

"Oooo, maybe we can ask him a few questions," Mina said.

Just then another figure caught their eye. At first they thought it was just a jogger, but he let out a shout and Damien turned, startled.

"Oh, gods," Lita said, paling. "It's Darien!"

"I guess Serena was right when she said he was beyond angry!" Mina said as she took in his form.

Darien reached the blond man in a flash and threw him up against a nearby tree by his shirt. "Look, Vrice," he said intensely at a volume loud enough to reach the girls, who were frozen in place, "my lawyer told me about the pack of lies you fed the police! You are going to _pay_ for that!"


	3. Chapter 3

Power of Suggestion - Chapter 3

by Una Moonstar

ANs: Well, I seem to have left a few questions out there... They _will_ be answered by the end, I promise. For now, enjoy the next installment!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

"That's it; he's snapped!" Lita said in a panic. "And now he's going to kill Damien Vrice!" She started to move toward their raging friend and the man he had pinned to a tree.

"No, wait!" Mina said as she grabbed the brunette's arm. "Here comes Serena! Let's let Damien think we're not connected to them yet, and we'll talk to him later."

Lita reluctantly nodded and relaxed. Then her emerald eyes grew wide. "Do you see what I see?" she asked breathlessly.

Mina looked back to the place where the majority of her friends were converging and gasped.

_(cut to...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena, running toward the psych building with Raye, Amy, and Greg, also saw what had shocked her friends and added a burst of speed. The golden glow that surrounded Darien's form was almost blinding when she finally reached him. "Darien! Stop it!" she cried as she grabbed his right arm. The petite blonde barely held back a scream as pain from the contact burned through her.

Quickly, Serena called on the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal, a silver glow forming around her to match Darien's. The pain faded, and Darien turned a startled gaze toward her. "Look at yourself, Darien. Look at what you're doing," Serena said calmly and softly.

The wildness in his midnight blue eyes disappeared as Darien finally seemed to realize he had been calling on the Golden Crystal, although the anger still remained. The golden glow soon followed, yet Serena's silver glow shined on. "Serena, what are you doing?" the ebony-haired man asked quietly.

The blonde didn't respond as she turned her attention to the man still pinned to the tree, who seemed entranced by the light show. "I'm very sorry," she began softly but regally. "I can't let you remember this. Please forgive me." With that, Serena reached forward and touched Damien's forehead with the palm of her hand. The silver light seemed to flow through the contact then disappeared. "Now," she said in a normal tone of voice as she brought her hand back, "would you let him go?" She finished her question in a shout, with a look of complete irritation on her face aimed at Darien.

Damien Vrice blinked a few times and found himself suddenly enjoying the lack of tree bark digging into his back as a group of guys pulled Darien off him. He quickly dismissed a fading memory of slowly becoming one with the tree and focused his attention on the scene before him.

"Get a hold of yourself, Dare!" Andrew shouted as he held one arm in a death grip. Chad held the other one just as tightly while Ken stood in front of the fuming man with his hands on the heaving chest.

Serena, Amy, and Rita stood to the side while Raye stepped up to the struggling man and smacked him upside the head. "You're just making things worse, you idiot! Is that what you want?"

"You guys don't understand!" Darien yelled. "He's trying to make me look guilty! He told the police I had a grudge against Jackson and he thought I was dangerous!"

"You're just proving I'm right!" Damien responded.

Darien's eyes narrowed. "And that's on top of insinuating that I stole his gun two weeks ago!"

Just then a campus security car pulled up and Captain McMahon stepped out. "What seems to be the problem here, ladies and gentlemen?" he asked as he walked up.

"This… Neanderthal… assaulted me!" Damien said indignantly.

The well-toned black man placed a hand on Darien's shoulder. "Now why did you do that?" The question was gentle, but there was a note of command behind it.

Darien slumped and the guys let him go. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I'm actually not sure. This whole thing has me completely on edge and then my lawyer called and told me some things. I guess I just blamed everything on Damien." Serena moved forward and hugged him, Darien's arms going around her instinctively.

"That's a common psychological mechanism called transference," Damien said, having regained his composure and replaced his sunglasses, shielding his brown eyes. "You're looking for someone to blame, and I'm an easy target."

Raye leaned over to whisper in Amy's ear. "Can the guy get any more condescending?"

"I doubt it," the blue-haired girl whispered back.

"Do you really think I killed Jackson?" Darien asked Damien almost pleadingly, unconsciously squeezing Serena.

"I was grief-stricken and angry when I said those things, and I never said you stole my gun. I probably should have measured my words more carefully."

"You do realize if Mr. Vrice decides to press charges your bail will be revoked and you'll have to wait in jail for your trial," Captain McMahon told Darien seriously.

"That won't be necessary," Damien said with a dismissive wave of his hand as Darien nodded in understanding. "I won't press charges this time. Darien has enough problems right now without me adding to them."

"Thank you, Damien," Darien said sincerely while Serena smiled. "I am _so_ sorry for losing it like that. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine after a long soak in the tub. That probably wouldn't hurt you either. Go home and relax. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to. I have to be going." Damien started walking away with a slight wave and headed toward the psychology building.

"That's not bad advice, Darien," Serena said from his embrace. "I seem to recall telling you the same thing earlier."

"I know." Darien's midnight blues searched her sapphire gaze. "I'm sorry. Especially for…"

Serena cut him off with a brief but passionate kiss. "Later," she whispered after she pulled away. He nodded.

Captain McMahon tapped the petite blonde's shoulder. "Miss Tsukino, could I speak with you for a moment?"

Darien reluctantly released her after another brief kiss. "I'll meet you at my place later. I'll take the guys with me."

Serena smiled. "Thanks." The men of the group headed to Darien's car after Andrew gave Rita his keys and a kiss.

"I got a call from Autumn Green about you and a Raye Hino," McMahon said once the others were gone.

"That would be me," Raye said briefly.

Steve nodded. "She said you two were asking a lot of questions." Serena started to speak but the black man cut her off. "Look, I don't mind if you do a little investigating. You have every reason to want to know the truth, and who knows? You may even be a big help. But Lieutenant Alexander won't be nearly as understanding if he finds out you've been 'interfering' in his case. He'll come down hard, so be very careful."

"Got it." Serena glanced at her friends before continuing. "Captain McMahon, since we have you here, can we ask you a few questions?"

The captain laughed. "You're a born detective. Ask away."

"We've heard that the gun used in the murder belongs to Damien Vrice. Is that right?"

"Yep. It also seems as though it was reported stolen about two weeks ago. The police are checking into his claim that the last time it was seen was when Darien had been at his apartment."

Serena nodded. "About Mr. Vrice and Dr. Davis…" Amy started.

"Both have rock-solid alibis. Davis was in the shower while his wife was making dinner and Vrice was…" McMahon coughed slightly and looked a bit uncomfortable, "making love to his girlfriend. Both women were sure of the time."

"How?" Raye asked, her disbelieving tone matching the expressions on the other women's faces.

The captain got even more uncomfortable. "Well, Mrs. Davis had to watch the clock because of a dish she was baking, and… Miss Stephenson… got… distracted… by the phone ringing around the time of the murder. She said she was sure because she was upset by the interruption."

"Oh." All four women blushed furiously.

Captain McMahon cleared his throat and gave Serena a sympathetic look. "I'm afraid things don't look very good for your fiancé."

Raye smirked. "You'd be surprised, Captain. Serena's pulled off the impossible; just plain difficult should be a cake walk."

Steve chuckled. "I hope so, for your sake. Now I have to get going. I have a campus to take care of. Keep me posted on what you kids come up with, alright?"

Serena smiled. "I promise."

The athletically-muscled man nodded and left.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Mina and Lita had gone into the lobby of the psych building after the light show faded to wait and see if Damien Vrice would come through. About fifteen minutes later their luck held, and the blond man entered the building. "Are you okay, Mr. Vrice?" Mina asked worriedly as she rushed over to the new arrival.

"Yeah," Lita said as she followed. "We saw that guy pin you to the tree as we were coming out of the building. We would have helped, but we saw all those other people rush up."

The blond man smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Um, Mr. Vrice, I have to admit to wanting to ask you a little more than how you were doing," Mina said a bit shyly, stopping Damien in his tracks. "You see, we just finished interviewing Professor Davis for an article about his studies for the campus newspaper. He mentioned you've been his assistant for years and are in charge of the learning techniques study."

"Congratulations on getting your PhD and your own studies and classes by the way," Lita interjected.

Damien nodded his acknowledgement and took off his sunglasses. "I don't have a lot of free time, but I suppose I could answer a few questions."

Mina pulled out her notebook again. "Why don't we start with your take on the learning study?"

The research assistant led the two ladies back to the seats along the wall where they all sat. "I'm finding it thoroughly fascinating to work with the students to break through their negative preconceptions of themselves and help them find the best way to learn. We have a small group of six students at the moment, and we're getting together for a study group on Wednesday nights. On top of that, each participant comes in for an individual session using subliminal suggestion. The results so far have been amazing!"

"Well, the professor told us about Positive Thinking, Inc. providing some of the funding for the study. Is there really all that much money to be made?" Lita asked.

"I know Jeffrey Cross thinks so," Damien answered with a smile. "And on top of the commercial possibilities, the governments of a few countries have shown a high level of interest. They need some more conclusive evidence as to the effectiveness of subliminals, but government contracts, especially from the United States, are another huge source of money."

"We heard the US offered Professor Davis funding for his studies," Mina commented.

"Yeah. Jackson and I were there when their representative met with Dr. Davis. The money was turned down flat, at least at the initial meeting. General Sloan contacted the doctor at least twice afterward, so I don't know how everything turned out."

"How do you think Jackson's death is going to affect the studies?" the blonde woman asked.

Damien sighed. "Personally, I'm quite shaken up by everything. Jackson and I were close. It really hurt that Darien could take him away the way he did. But professionally, things should be interesting. You see, we had a system where the data from each study was checked by each of us, to catch any mistakes or discrepancies. Jackson wasn't directly involved with my study, but he checked the data. Just like I'm not directly involved in the amnesia study, but I check the results. It's nice having an impartial person examine the figures. Keeps everyone honest." The blond man winked; Mina giggled. "Well, it's been nice talking to you, but I have some work to finish before the weekend. I'll see you girls around." With that, Damien stood and headed for the stairs.

Once he was gone, Mina turned to Lita. "What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think," the brunette answered. "Why don't we let Serena and the others know what we found before they leave?" Mina nodded.

The two women left the psych building just as Captain McMahon walked away. "Serena!" Mina called.

The four girls standing in the yard turned. "Hey, guys!" Serena greeted her friends as they joined the group. "What did the professor have to say?"

Mina handed her fellow blonde the notebook. "I took notes."

"And if that isn't enough…" Lita reached into her small purse and pulled out a small tape recorder.

"Lita! You sneak!" Mina cried.

The tall brunette shrugged. "When Raye told us what she wanted us to do I grabbed it. I've used it for some of my classes."

"You don't have anything else in there that might have muffles the noise, do you?" Amy asked.

"Nope. This is how I snuck the thing into those classes where the prof didn't allow them. The material of the bag is thin enough not to effect the recording too much."

"So that's why you put your purse on Davis' desk," Mina said.

"Pretty much. Oh! And we just talked to Damien Vrice too. Same tape."

Serena grinned. "Thank you both so much! This is going to be useful!"

"Definitely. Anything in particular we should know about?" Raye asked.

"That's right!" Mina exclaimed, looking at her watch. "I just remembered I have volleyball practice at two fifteen, but Professor Davis made us an appointment with Jeffrey Cross at Positive Thinking, Inc. at two."

"And I'm supposed to take Ken to his grandmother's for a late lunch. Shoot."

"What's at Positive Thinking, Inc.?" Serena asked.

"Isn't that one of the companies that puts out those subliminal tapes to help you lose weight or stop smoking?" Rita asked.

"Yeah, it is. It's the only private company helping to fund one of Davis' studies," Mina explained.

"The learning study, to be exact," Lita added.

"Anyway, we were thinking that we could get a few more answers about how subliminals work and the company's real connection to the study if we went to the source and talked to the big man himself."

"Not a bad idea at all, Mina. But if you two can't go, how do we take advantage of this opportunity?" Amy asked.

"Hold it," Rita said, her brow creased in thought. "Does this Jeffrey Cross know exactly who's coming? I mean, any two of you can claim your names are Mina and Lita."

Understanding dawned on all their faces. "And you don't even have to do that," Lita said. "Davis never gave our names or descriptions. He just said we were working for the school paper."

"Cool! So who's going?" Serena asked, looking around at her friends.

"I should get back to the temple and check up on Grandpa. His cold is better, but I want to be sure, especially with that new assistant running around." Raye rolled her eyes.

"We're already out," Lita said, and Mina nodded.

"I think I'm going to leave the detective work to you guys," Rita said. "Besides, I'd like to check on the guys and make sure they're letting Darien rest."

Serena nodded. "Looks like that leaves you and me, Ames."

Amy smiled. "I'm just glad I can help." She looked at her watch. "If the appointment is at two, we'd better get going."

Lita checked her tape recorder and flipped over the tape. She handed her purse, tape deck inside, to Serena. "You can probably use this. Press the red button to record, the black button next to it to stop. The texture's different on those two buttons so you should be able to tell the difference without looking."

Serena lightly ran her fingers over the buttons to be sure. "Got it."

"Oh, after everyone's done with what they have to do this afternoon, why don't we meet at Darien's? I want to talk about the party we're having at the temple tomorrow night," Raye said before they all dispersed. Everyone agreed.

"Amy, Serena, why don't I give you a ride on my way to Darien's?" Rita offered.

The two girls accepted, and everyone left.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Amy and Serena took in the tall building Rita had dropped them off in front of. It was a standard skyscraper, all metal and glass, but not quite as tall as the surrounding buildings. "Well, let's find out about Positive Thinking, shall we?" Serena said, and they walked in.

There was a veritable jungle of plants lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling when the two women stepped out of the elevator onto the sixth floor. A girl with frizzy short brown hair sat behind a desk complete with modern surveillance equipment and intercom. She looked up as the two college students moved closer. "Oh! You must be the ladies from the college paper Dr. Davis sent over!" She smiled. "My name's Dot. Call me Dottie and you die," she said with mock-seriousness, then giggled. "I'll let Dad, um, I mean Mr. Cross, know you're here."

"Thanks," Serena said as the girl reached for the intercom.

Dot pressed a button and spoke. "The ladies from the college paper are here." She looked at Serena and Amy. "He'll be with you in just a moment."

"Thank you," Amy said.

They hadn't taken three steps toward the chairs for visitors when a large office door opened and a man stepped into the lobby. He was a tall, middle-aged man with short brown hair wearing a white, short-sleeved dress shirt with a thin black tie and black slacks. "Ah, ladies. Right on time. My name is Jeffrey Cross." He bowed.

Serena and Amy returned the gesture. "My name is Serena Tsukino and this is Amy Mizuno."

Jeffrey flashed them an electrifying smile. "Serena, Amy, glad you could make it. You're two lucky girls; I happen to have been able to clear a half hour for you. You'd be surprised at just how hard it is to get a spare minute around here." Both girls blinked at the forcefulness of his tone as he ushered them into his office. "I hear you're writing an article on subliminals for the campus paper. How can I help you?" Cross gestured toward a small black leather couch that faced his large black metal and glass desk as he sat down. The bright white wall behind him was filled with pictures of him posing with all kinds of well-known celebrities.

"Subliminals is an explosive field! It's got a huge future, and of course Positive Thinking is at the forefront. We're nothing but cutting edge here!" Cross proclaimed as Serena and Amy were seating themselves.

Once the girls were settled, the tall man leaned forward across the desk and whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "Did you know that the average human only uses ten percent of their total brain power?"

"Actually, it's…" Amy was cut off by Serena clapping her hand over the blue-haired genius' mouth.

"Think of all the human potential locked away!" Cross continued as though nothing had happened. "And here at Positive Thinking, we hold the key!" He snatched up a box from the desk and showed it to the girls. The title read "Lose Weight Fast!" The blonde shot her friend a disbelieving look. Was this guy for real?

He jumped to his feet. "Come with me!" He strode to the door without looking back.

Serena and Amy looked at each other, shrugged, and hurried to follow.

"Hold all my calls, Dot," Jeffrey said as he led the girls to the mirrored elevators and they all stepped in. He pressed the button for the ninth floor. "That's where our recording studios are," he explained.

Soon the three of them were stepping onto the pale gray carpeting of the ninth floor. Cross led them down a hallway and into a small room that proved to be a state-of-the-art recording studio. He sat at a console and popped in the tape he had grabbed from his desk. "Listen to this," he said eagerly.

The rhythmic sound of waves crashing underscored by a soft violin piece both girls recognized Michiru Kaioh had written and recorded just before she left on her latest tour filled the air from concealed speakers in the walls.

"It's beautiful," Serena said with awe. "But how does it help people lose weight?"

Amy looked at her blonde friend oddly, knowing Serena had been studying subliminal suggestion as well as hypnotism. On the petite blonde's face was a slightly vacant look Amy hadn't seen in years. The blue-haired genius hid a smirk; she had to admit, the girl was good.

"Listen," Cross played with a few of the dials on the console, and the music and sounds of the ocean faded away. A voice then got louder and louder until the girls could make out what was being said. Both of them recognized it as Jeffrey Cross speaking softly and soothingly.

"I am a completely healthy human being. I want my body to be pure and clean and thin. I no longer wish to fill it with unnecessary calories. I can feel my need for junk food falling, fading away."

The voice went on, but Jeffrey turned the dials again, and soon all that could be heard was the sea and a violin.

"That works?" Serena asked, sounding amazed.

"You bet it does!" Cross enthused with a broad smile.

"But there hasn't been any truly conclusive evidence of that," Amy argued.

"Until now," he corrected her. "Thanks to Damien Vrice and Simon Davis, we're on the verge of clinical proof. I've built a nice little business here. We have a thriving mail-order operation, and our tapes are in bookstores and music shops all around the country. We've even started to get international orders. Now for the next step…"

"We heard there are governments interested in subliminal tapes," Serena interrupted.

"Very true. However they're turning on the heat for demonstrations that these things really work."

Amy glanced at Serena before asking, "And what if they don't?"

Cross frowned. "That's the downside. There are regulators all over the place who want to control the claims we can make and what kind of tapes we can sell. That's a problem!" He sighed dramatically then brightened. "But with the results the study has been getting…"

Serena didn't trust the man as far as she could throw him, but wasn't quite ready to suspect him of murder. She bit her lip briefly then spoke. "Does Jackson Knight's murder interfere with your plans at all?"

"That was an awful piece of news to hear. It does, actually. That boy meant so much to Damien and Simon. I don't know what kind of effect his death will have on their research. I'm a bit worried."

"Did you know Jackson?" Amy asked.

"Nope, never met him. I try to maintain as little contact as possible with the study so I can't be accused of tampering with the results. In fact, I've never even been on campus, and I've lived in that district all my life."

Just then, the door to the studio opened and Dot walked in with a tray filled with a pitcher of iced tea, three cups, a small bowl of sliced lemon wedges, another bowl of sugar cubes, and a small plate of cookies. "I thought you might be thirsty," the girl said as she set the tray down. They all graciously accepted the drinks.

"So you were nowhere near the campus last night?" Serena asked after taking a sip of her tea.

"Good heavens, no!" Cross exclaimed, setting down a half-full glass. "Dot, where was I last night?"

"Here at the office, Dad, just like every other night."

"Yep! That's me! In the office at seven, don't leave until nine at night!"

Amy and Serena asked a few more questions, but got no more information about Professor Davis' studies. When they finished their drinks, they looked at each other and stood to leave. "This has been really interesting, Mr. Cross, but we should get going. We don't want to take up any more of your time," Serena said, adjusting her purse strap slightly.

"Yes. Thank you so much," Amy added.

Jeffrey and Dot insisted on accompanying them back to Positive Thinking's lobby, where Mr. Cross pressed on them full-color glossy brochures promoting the company's products, complete with a smiling headshot of one Jeffrey L. Cross, President of Positive Thinking, Inc.

"That man was a born salesman," Serena said after she and Amy had gotten outside the building. "Is he for real?"

"You're right about him being a born salesman. But I couldn't tell you whether or not he believes his own propaganda," Amy responded.

"Well, it doesn't look like he had anything to gain from Jackson's death."

Amy nodded. "On the contrary, it could actually work against him. I think we should get some more information about him all the same, though."

"I agree." Serena grimaced slightly. "I suppose this means we have to go to the library, doesn't it?"

"For you, yes. I'll check what I can using my computer on the way."

Serena sighed. "Okay, let's go."

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The two women reached the library steps when the Mercury computer started to display its search results. "Wait, Serena. Let's just sit here until we've gone through the results." Amy looked at her meatball-headed friend with a twinkle in her eye. "We may not have to go inside the library after all."

Serena smiled. "Works for me. What have you got?"

Amy quickly scanned the first group of articles. "These are just articles on Positive Thinking. It seems it's a very successful business, and Mr. Cross a very generous man. A pillar of the community." She read some more of the results. "Oh, my. It seems Mr. Cross had some legal trouble about fifteen years back due to an unlicensed hypnotherapy practice. And a few years before that he had his insurance license revoked because he forged a client's signature." The blue-haired genius fell silent for a moment before gasping.

"What is it, Ames?" Serena asked, concerned.

Amy merely pointed at the small monitor. Serena took a closer look and felt her breath catch. There, displayed on the tiny screen, was a picture of a twenty-five year younger Jeffrey Cross exiting the courthouse, accompanied by two uniformed policemen. He was _not_ smiling. The caption underneath read, "J. Lawrence Cross sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary for manslaughter."

Serena gulped. "I bet this isn't in the brochure."

"I'll say," Amy agreed quietly.

"Do you think this means Cross could be our killer? I mean, he did it once," Serena guessed.

"We can't jump to conclusions, Serena. We don't know the whole story. Here, let's read the article." Amy scrolled past the picture to the text underneath. "It seems Mr. Cross was about twenty years old and got into a barroom brawl. The other man brandished a knife and ended up being the one stabbed. Cross was sentenced to two years in prison. There's no indication that he ever committed a violent crime again."

Serena sighed. "I guess all we know is that Jeffrey Cross was, and maybe is, a pretty sleazy guy."

"Yes. And we should still consider him a suspect, despite his alibi. But until we have real evidence against him, we only have our suspicions."

"You're right, Ames." Serena grew silent and began to think. "Maybe we should find out more about Jackson Knight. If we check out his past we might find someone other than Darien who has a motive to kill him."

"Good idea, Serena. Let me start up another search."

"While you do that, why don't we head back to the campus? Maybe some of the other people he worked with will know something."

"Right."

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"This is nuts!" Serena yelled in frustration as she and Amy exited the psychology building an hour later. "Why is it so hard to find anything about Jackson Knight?"

"I don't know, Serena," Amy said somewhat distractedly as she typed in something on her computer. Her expression was slightly annoyed.

"The students working in the psychology office were lucky they knew his full name and how old he was," Serena huffed as she flopped onto a bench just outside the old brownstone.

Amy joined her, a little more gracefully of course. "The only information I can seem to find is that he received his undergraduate degree from a university in Kyoto, and his application here specifically requested to work with Professor Davis. His parents died years ago, and he had no brothers or sisters. I guess he'd been on his own for years."

Serena calmed down quickly and tears came to her eyes. "That's too bad."

"What about the girl those students said they saw Jackson with a few times off campus? A girl with lavender hair?"

"Probably Morgan DeMarco. I'd really like to talk to her, but it's almost dinnertime, and I'm sure everyone's at Darien's waiting for us. Besides, I'm starved! Let's go!"

Amy giggled as Serena mock-dragged her in the direction of Darien's apartment.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

When they arrived they found Lita in the kitchen cooking and everyone else quietly watching a movie. Well, almost everyone. "Where's Darien?" Serena asked after greetings were exchanged and Amy silently moved to sit with Greg.

"In bed. He crashed almost as soon as we got back after his run-in with Vrice," Andrew responded. He pulled Rita a little further into his embrace.

"I hope he doesn't miss dinner; it's almost done," Lita said, walking out of the kitchen.

"Oh! Thanks for the loan of the recorder, Lita. I really think it came in handy. Besides, you guys wouldn't believe this Jeffrey Cross character otherwise."

"No problem, Serena," Lita said as Amy grinned.

They settled in to eat. "Once we're done here I'd like to have a group discussion about the party we were going to have at the temple tomorrow night," Raye announced after people had settled in with their plates.

"Not a problem, Raye," Ken said. The others nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Thanks."

Ken grabbed Jamie and Andrew after everyone was done to do the dishes. Serena took the opportunity to check on Darien. "Besides, he might have an opinion." The petite blonde shrugged.

"He's the topic of discussion," Raye responded seriously.

Serena shot a slightly confused look the raven-haired priestess' way and silently entered Darien's bedroom. The blinds were drawn, barely letting in enough light to allow the blonde woman to make out the sprawled boxer-clad form of her beloved after she shut the door behind her. 'He's been tossing and turning,' she thought sadly, taking note of the fact that his clock radio was on at a volume that prevented a listener from knowing exactly what was playing unless he or she really concentrated.

She stepped up to the bed and gently sat on the edge. With a light touch, she brushed the bangs out of his face. "Darien?" she called softly.

"Yes?" he responded just as quietly without opening his eyes.

Serena smiled. "I thought I'd come in and check up on you. Are you alright?"

A small smile lit his features. "Yes. You're here."

"I always feel better around you, too." She leaned in so her lips were a fraction away from his. "Should I kiss you, Sleeping Beauty?" she asked teasingly.

"Yes, please," he responded without moving.

A flash of confusion crossed Serena's features before she shrugged it off and made contact. His lips responded hungrily, but he made no move to put his arms around her. "Don't you want to hold me, Darien?" she asked in between kisses, almost hurt.

"Yes," he breathed.

"So show me how much you want me. I missed you."

Suddenly, Serena found herself not only held, but flipped onto her back with Darien on top kissing the daylights out of her. His grip loosened as his lips moved across her cheek and down her neck. She gasped as he started unbuttoning her blouse with one hand and nibbling on her ear. "Darien, what are you doing?" she barely managed to get out.

"Showing you how much I want you." He continued his activities.

"Darien, we can't. Everyone's out in the living room waiting for us. With our luck half of them are at the door listening."

"But I want you."

Serena's brows furrowed slightly at his tone. He was dead serious. It was like he took her innocent comment as a command. She realized she better do something quick as he started on the fifth button, or they'd end up delaying that meeting Raye wanted to have a lot longer than necessary. "Darien, stop, please." She was shocked when he did, breathing heavily next to her ear. "The others are out in the living room waiting." She slipped out from underneath him. "It's definitely _not_ that I don't want you, too. But Raye wants to talk to everybody." She stood and focused on refastening the buttons Darien had undone. "So we're going to have to forget about this until we have some time to ourselves." She raised her head quickly at the sound of Darien flopping onto his pillow face first. "You know, for such a serious guy, you sure know how to be melodramatic."

Serena finished buttoning her shirt and turned an annoyed eye to the radio. Whatever song had been playing was obviously over and commercials were on by the increase in volume. She flicked the switch off. She sat back on the bed as Darien began to stir. "So, are you ready to get up?"

"Hmm?" Darien raised his head and opened a pair of bleary midnight blue eyes. "Serena," he said groggily and gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Everyone's out there waiting for us," she told him softly as he rolled onto his back and pulled her into an embrace.

"Everyone can wait a few minutes more while I greet my beautiful fiancé properly." And he kissed her.

Serena could feel the restraint beneath the passion and was glad for it. The girls were already going to give her the third degree for taking _this_ long. "I love you, Darien," she whispered as they broke apart.

"I love you, too," he said in return as he focused on her sapphire gaze.

"Come on," she said with a smile. "Raye wants to talk to everyone, and you know how impatient she gets."

Darien rolled his eyes. "I know, I know." They both sat up, and the ebony-haired man tossed open the shades. They squinted for a moment before their eyes adjusted to lamplight from the street, and Darien got up and threw on a pair of black sweatpants and a black tank top. He ran his hands through his hair a couple of times to give it some semblance of order and motioned to the door. "After you, my lady. Our audience awaits."

Serena giggled and led the way out of the room.

Ken, Jamie, and Andrew were leaving the kitchen as Serena and Darien walked into the living room. Raye shot an irritated look at the slightly mussed woman in the bunch of new arrivals. "At least you weren't _late_, Meatball Head," she muttered.

"Back off, Raye," Darien said as Serena gave her a raspberry. "We're all here. Now what did you have to talk about?" The couple sat together in the last free spot on the couch, Serena on the floor between Darien's feet, while the dishwashers joined their girlfriends.

"Alright, here it is. You all know the party we were going to have at the temple tomorrow night?" There were murmurs of assent. "Well, I was wondering if it was such a good idea to go through with it with everything that's going on."

"It could be a huge distraction to the case," Amy said worriedly.

"Exactly why we should have it!" Mina exclaimed.

"I'm with Mina," Ken said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's a chance to release some stress."

"I'm not sure I'm too comfortable partying with this hanging above our heads," Jamie said hesitantly.

"Whatever you guys decide is cool with me. I can go either way," Chad added.

"I was looking forward to cooking the goodies," Lita said regretfully.

"I don't know what to think," Greg said.

"I'm a little hesitant," Andrew said softly.

"Don't look at me; I don't have an opinion on this one," Rita said quickly.

Everyone turned to Serena where she sat between Darien's feet, Darien looking down at the top of her head. She gulped and bit her lower lip. "Well, I have to admit I was looking forward to the party, especially with all this going on. But I can see how it could make people uncomfortable and I don't want that." She paused and thought for a moment. "If you want my real opinion though, I think you should ask Darien. This is happening directly to him."

Darien sighed. "Thanks, Serena," he muttered into her ear, kissed it to let her know he wasn't serious, and straightened to meet everyone's gaze. "I know how much effort you guys have put into the planning of this party, and that you were really looking forward to seeing all those people from high school. I… don't want to get in the way of that. I didn't do this. We all know it. So we shouldn't let the mere accusation spoil our fun. If you're really letting me decide, I say have the party."

Raye nodded. "Okay, let's vote. All in favor of the party, raise your hands." Mina, Ken, Lita, Andrew, Serena, Darien, and, at the last minute, Greg did so. "All opposed?" Amy and Jamie lifted their arms. "That's seven for, two opposed, and three abstain. Looks like the party's on, folks."

"Now that that's settled, we're going home." With that Jamie smiled a mischievous grin and threw Mina over his shoulder. He exited the apartment accompanied by the tall blonde's screeches and giggles.

"That was dramatic," Greg said, blinking.

"We should go too," Amy said as she grasped Greg's hand. "If you need either of us tomorrow, just give us a call." The brown-haired young man at her side nodded in agreement and they left.

"Serena," Raye said, putting her hand on the now-standing petite blonde's shoulder, "don't hesitate to call any of us if you need us for anything." She turned an impish violet gaze to the ebony-haired man behind her. "And I suppose that goes for you too."

Darien smirked. "You're too kind."

"Thank you, Raye," Serena said through a giggle.

"Do you guys need anything yet tonight?" Andrew asked as Raye and Chad made their way to the front door.

"No, I don't think so," Darien said, wrapping an arm around Serena's waist. "Thanks anyway, buddy."

"You guys deserve a night alone," Serena added as she leaned back in her beloved's embrace. "You haven't had a chance since Rita got back."

"Thanks," Rita said with a smile. "Call us if you need anything. Otherwise we'll see you tomorrow night." They joined Raye and Chad, and the four of them left.

Lita came out of the kitchen where she had gone as people started to leave. "I packed up all the leftovers and put them in the fridge. But I left a plate for you, Darien, since you slept through dinner."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Now are you guys sure you don't need anything tonight?"

"Actually, Lita, I have an idea I could use your help with," Serena said thoughtfully.

"I'm there. What is it?"

"You'll see." She turned around to face Darien, who looked a bit disappointed. "I shouldn't be gone too long. Why don't you and Ken watch a movie and relax? Since my parents are out of town for the weekend, I'll be coming back here no matter how late I end up being out." She bit her lower lip. "That _is_ okay, right?"

Darien smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He brushed his lips against hers lightly then kissed her.

When they broke apart, Serena and Lita said a quick farewell and left.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"I didn't think they had apartment complexes this small in Tokyo," Lita said as Serena was busy tying her ponytails together with the hair ribbons she had picked up during the girls' brief stop at the Tsukino house.

The petite blonde had changed into a pair of black jeans and sneakers with a black hooded sweatshirt over a navy blue T-shirt. She had also grabbed a duffel bag full of things she would need while staying at Darien's and a pair of thin black leather driving gloves. Now Serena and Lita sat in the brunette's dark green station wagon across the street from a three-story, six unit apartment complex in the student rental district that Jackson had lived in. the police had roped it off, but Serena wasn't about to let _that_ stop her.

"I'm just glad Jackson lived on the first floor. I hope I can do this," Serena said nervously.

"Sure you can, love ninja," Lita encouraged with a smirk.

"You guys are never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not on your life. Good dirt on your friends is a joy forever."

Serena sighed and shook her head. She tucked her now-singular ponytail into her sweatshirt, pulled up the hood, and tugged on the gloves. "I suppose I should get this over with. If you see anything suspicious, beep twice." Lita nodded and Serena got out of the car.

The furtive blonde scurried across the street and ducked the police tape. She started checking windows on the right half of the first floor, having found that was Jackson's apartment. Finally, a basement window proved to be open, and she wiggled her way in.

After dropping to the floor, she made her way around piles of boxes and books and headed for the set of stairs across the room, wanting to check where Jackson had spent most of his time first. "I hope I can remember what Mina and Darien taught me about picking locks," she muttered to herself under her breath. She stopped in her tracks. Were those footsteps she had just heard directly above her?

A few silent heartbeats later, Serena resumed her trek. She was surprised when she opened the door at the top of the basement steps and found herself in a tiny kitchen with a sink full of dirty dishes. 'The first floor apartments must have private storage areas. Cool,' Serena thought as she reached into the pocket of her sweatshirt, pulled out the penlight she had brought along, and pushed back her hood.

The kitchen led to a small living room filled with musty, used furniture. Bookshelves and filing cabinets were everywhere, and a computer sat on a desk in the corner. Serena briefly shined the penlight across the desk, taking note of the papers on it. She'd have to look through those once she had checked the rest of the rooms.

She crept quietly across the living room toward another doorway she guessed led to the bedroom. She pushed the door open and found the area beyond was pitch black. The petite blonde gulped and took a few steps forward.

A sudden sound behind her made Serena spin around. She flicked on the penlight and gasped.

A shadowy figure lurking behind the door was swinging a huge soccer trophy right at Serena's head!


	4. Chapter 4

Power of Suggestion - Chapter 4

by Una Moonstar

ANs: I hope you all are still enjoying this - I certainly had fun writing it! That being the case, I'll let you get right back to the action...

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

Serena froze for half a second before her instincts kicked in letting her dodge the blow. Her hand shot out and caught the offending wrist and she flipped her assailant over her shoulder and to the floor. She followed it up with a Judo hold Haruka had taught her.

A feminine groan reached the blonde's ears and she used her free hand to grope for the penlight she had dropped in the attack. Once she had it she shined it in her captive's face. "Morgan DeMarco!"

"Please. Let go. You're hurting me," she pleaded.

Serena released the girl and stood. "Sorry. But you were trying to kill me!"

"No, I wasn't!" Morgan protested. "I was protecting myself! I heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs and thought it was Jackson's murderer!" The lavender-haired woman rose to her feet and brushed herself off. "Who are you? How do you know my name? And what are you doing here?"

"My name is Serena Tsukino and I'm trying to find Jackson Knight's killer. I saw you talking to Jackson at the Union about an hour before he was murdered." Serena crossed her arms over her chest.

"Find his killer? Don't the police have evidence that Darien Shields did it?"

"Do you know Darien at all?" the blonde asked softly.

"I had him in a few classes last semester."

"Do you really think he would do this?" Tears started to well up in Serena's sapphire blues.

Morgan chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked at the slightly smaller blonde in front of her. "It doesn't make a lot of sense. He never seemed the type to get violent."

"He's not," Serena whispered as she wiped a few tears away. "Anyway," she continued, her voice clearer, "why are _you_ here?"

Morgan blushed. "Well, um, I was looking for something."

"What?" Serena pressed, shifting her hands to her hips.

"Love letters." The purple-haired girl lowered her head.

Serena blinked. "Love letters?"

"Yeah." Morgan took a deep breath and continued. "Jackson and I were dating, and I wrote him love letters. But he was a teaching assistant, so he was off-limits to me as a student. I just didn't want to get in trouble. So I came here to get them."

A blonde eyebrow rose. "Really?" she asked skeptically.

"Of course!" was the indignant response. Serena tensed as the slightly taller girl reached into her jacket and pulled out a pack of envelopes. "See?"

The petite blonde snatched them out of the outstretched hand and flipped through them. There were hearts and a few "I love you's" decorating them. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Doesn't matter. Look, can I have those back?" Morgan pleaded.

Serena looked doubtful. "I don't know. There could be evidence in here."

"In a bunch of love letters? Come on. Besides," Morgan started to look around nervously, "the police have been patrolling this area more than usual. I saw a squad go past just before I used my spare key to get in. Just give me my letters so I can go before we get caught!"

"Patrols?" Serena asked, shocked. Morgan took advantage of the other girl's distraction and snatched her letters back. "Hey! Wait!" the blonde called as Morgan headed for the bedroom door. "I wanted to talk to you!"

"Not now!"

"But it's really important! Please!"

Morgan sighed. "Fine. We'll talk over breakfast tomorrow morning. Come to my dorm room at nine o'clock and we'll go out."

"I'll be there."

The lavender-haired woman nodded and left.

Serena sighed and started to use her penlight to search the bedroom quickly in case Morgan had been right about the police. She gasped as a small, unmarked envelope was illuminated close to the bed. After reaching down to retrieve it, she opened the flap and found two computer disks inside. "This must have fallen out of Morgan's pocket when she pulled out those letters," Serena mused, noting the proximity to where the other woman had been standing. "If she was going to take these, they must be important. We'll see what Amy says."

The blonde breezed through the other rooms of the apartment, pulled up her hood, and snuck out the patio door in the back. Heedful of Morgan's warning, she ran behind the other apartment buildings for about half a block before crossing the street and walking quickly to the station wagon where Lita still sat waiting, staring intently at the small building.

"Miss me?" Serena asked as she slipped into the passenger seat.

Lita jumped, nearly hitting her head on the roof, and turned to face the newcomer. "Don't do that! You're lucky I didn't strike out at you!"

Serena grinned as she took down her hood and pulled off her gloves. "Aw, you knew it was me."

"That may be the case, but still!" Lita took a few deep breaths. "So, did you find anything?"

"Yep! Morgan DeMarco and this." She held up the envelope.

"Morgan DeMarco? And what's the envelope for?"

"I'll tell you on the way to Amy's. Let's get going. Morgan said the police were patrolling this area a little more than normal."

"Right." Lita started the car and started to drive off. Both breathed a sigh of relief when they noticed a patrol car head toward Jackson's building as they reached the end of the block. It had been that close.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

A little while later Serena stood with Lita in front of Amy's door with her fingers crossed. They had just knocked and the blonde was desperately hoping that the blue-haired genius was home and not busy.

The door opened. "Serena! Lita! What are you guys doing here so late? It's eleven o'clock!" Amy asked, surprised, letting her two friends into her apartment.

"We just came from Jackson's apartment," Serena started to explain as Amy shut her front door. "I ran into Morgan DeMarco while I was there. It turns out she was dating Jackson Knight and wanted to get the love letters she had written him so she wouldn't get in trouble for dating a teaching assistant. When she pulled the pack of letters out of a jacket pocket to show me she dropped this." Serena held up the small envelope with the disks inside and handed it over to Amy.

Amy opened it and examined the contents. "Two three-and-a-half inch floppy disks," she mused, glancing at the labels. "Both labels are written in the same handwriting."

"I got that the green one should have the results of Davis' studies on it, but what about the blue one? It says reevaluation," Lita asked.

Amy frowned slightly as she led the way to her bedroom. "Is this Professor Davis' handwriting? Or Jackson's?" she queried as they reached their destination.

"I'm not sure," Serena answered. "Darien might have some samples of each though."

Amy nodded and sat at one of the two computer systems she had set up. "Let's see what these have to tell us. This may take a while."

"No problem. We'll go check on Darien and grab a snack while you work. Is it okay if we stop back in an hour or so?" Serena asked.

"Sure. I should have something by then." Amy smiled.

"Then we'll see you later, Ames," Lita said. The tall brunette and the petite blonde left.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena hadn't gotten five steps into Darien's apartment before she was smothered in her fiancé's embrace. "Oh, gods, Serena, are you okay? What happened?" Darien asked, slightly panicked, while Lita joined Ken on the couch.

"He's been like this for the last half hour, forty-five minutes. It was all I could do to keep him from going after you guys," Ken said.

Darien stepped back slightly and took Serena's face in his hands. His eyes roamed over her features for a moment before he kissed her thoroughly. "Please tell me what happened," he said raggedly after they broke apart.

"Well, we went to Jackson's apartment. I found an open window and snuck in. When I walked into the bedroom, Morgan DeMarco took a swing at me with a soccer trophy. I dodged," she said quickly, noticing the flash of protective anger in Darien's eyes. "After I realized who it was, she explained she had thought I was Jackson's killer and was defending herself. She said the police were patrolling the area, and before she left I made arrangements to talk to her tomorrow morning over breakfast. Once she was gone I found an envelope with a couple of disks. Amy's looking at them now."

Darien took her back into his arms. "I was so scared. I felt you in danger and I knew I shouldn't go since I didn't feel you transform and Lita was closer. But I was afraid. Oh, Serena, I don't want to lose you."

"Darien, I know. I know. I'm okay. Really."

Darien just nodded into her shoulder and held her even closer.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

An hour later, Serena and Lita were back at Amy's to check on her progress.

"Well, I got into the green disk with the original data and evaluation. I've been looking it over while my other computer works on the blue disk. It's encrypted, so I'm going to have to crack the code before we can find out what's on it," Amy explained.

"Encryption? I've heard the word before, but I'm not completely sure what it means," Serena inquired.

"To put it in simple terms, it's like someone put a huge, complicated combination lock on the information on that disk. I have to find the right code or combination to get at it."

"Okay, I get it now," Serena said. Lita nodded.

"Unfortunately, this means it's going to take more time. But I'm working as fast as I can."

"Don't worry about it, Ames. We know you'll do your best," Lita assured her.

"That blue disk could be the key to everything," Serena mused. "Obviously somebody wanted to keep the information on it a secret."

"That's true," Amy agreed. "Look, I'll go over the information about Davis' studies that is on the green disk while the other machine works on the blue disk. As soon as I have results, I'll let you know."

Serena nodded. "That would be great. And while we're talking about the disks, here." She handed her blue-haired friend three sheets of paper.

"What are these?"

"Samples. You wanted to know whose handwriting was on the disks. Darien gave me some notes he got from Professor Davis, Jackson, and Damien."

"Oh! Thanks, Serena. I'll take a look at that too then."

"We'll leave you to it. Come on, Serena. The guys are waiting." Lita grabbed Serena's arm and started to lead her toward the door.

"Right. See you tomorrow, Ames!" Serena called just before the two of them left the blue-haired genius to her work.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Lita grabbed Ken as soon as the two girls got back to Darien's apartment, leaving Serena and Darien alone. "It's about time. I've missed you all day," Darien said before kissing the breath out of his fiancé.

"It's too bad I have to get up early tomorrow," Serena said once she recovered.

The ebony-haired man sighed. "I know. But at least you're staying with me."

Serena smiled. "Come on. Let's go change, and I'll bring you up to date on my investigation."

The two of them retired to the bedroom, where Serena made good on her promise and they curled up together and went to sleep with the radio playing softly.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

A couple of hours later, Serena woke up, suddenly missing Darien's arms around her. She opened bleary sapphire blue eyes and looked at the clock radio. "Two thirty six?" she muttered disbelievingly. "Darn it!" She paused and listened to the song that had just begun. "Oooo, 'Control.' I like this song."

Still missing the warmth of her beloved she turned over to see what had happened. Darien lay on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. Serena pulled the sheets up to her chin and snuggled close. "I love you, Darien." She closed her eyes and smiled playfully. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," he responded softly.

"How much?"

"With all my heart and soul and more," he answered promptly and seriously.

"You are _so_ romantic," Serena said as she snuggled some more and kissed the bare skin of his chest. "I'm sorry we had to restrain ourselves earlier. How do you do it?"

"A lot of self-control."

"_Why_ do you do it? It wouldn't hurt every now and again."

"I love and respect you too much to lose control. I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't think you'd ever hurt me. I can prove it. Hold me and kiss me. It won't hurt." She grinned.

Darien rolled over to face Serena and took her in his arms. As soon as he had, he lowered his lips onto hers and began to kiss her passionately.

But Serena could still feel a thin layer of restraint. "Darien," she whispered between kisses, "you know you have my permission to lose control tonight."

She almost physically felt it snap. Suddenly, Darien was kissing her harder and with more passion than she had ever remembered feeling before in this lifetime. His hands roamed for a bit before tearing the sheets not only off her, but off the bed completely in one swift motion. He ravished her neck, his hands once again on her body.

'Wow!' Serena thought in a hormonally induced haze. 'If this is what he keeps a rein on all the time…' She couldn't complete the thought as her body's needs drove her to meet Darien halfway.

The ebony-haired man growled when his lips met the collar of the old, oversized T-shirt Serena wore to bed. He grabbed the neckline and ripped the offending article out of the way and continued his oral exploration.

After a couple more minutes of gasps, moans, and groans, Darien stopped abruptly and brought his face back up to look intently into Serena's eyes. They were both breathing heavily, and she could see the question in the midnight pools above her. "Keep going," she managed to breathe out, her eyes flashing. His eyes did the same, and the two soul mates proceeded to make wild, passionate love with abandon, beyond anything they had indulged in before.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena opened her eyes the next morning with an annoyingly persistent thought niggling in the back of her head. There was something important she had to do, but she couldn't remember what. Her eyes fell on the clock radio. "Eight o'clock!" she moaned in disbelief. "Whatever I can't remember better be important!"

She turned her head to the left and came face to face with her sleeping lover. Darien was lying on his stomach with his right cheek against the pillow and his left arm across her stomach. His thick black hair was in total disarray and his bangs had fallen onto his closed eyelids. What made a smile appear on Serena's face was the way the corners of his mouth were turned slightly upward.

Serena watched Darien sleep for about five minutes before she remembered what she had to do that morning. "Morgan!" she whispered frantically. "I'm supposed to talk to Morgan DeMarco over breakfast this morning!" She sighed and lightly brushed the hair out of Darien's face. Then she managed to maneuver her way out from under his arm and off the bed without waking him.

After a quick shower, Serena went to the phone to try to find someone to go with her, since she found Darien still asleep. "We'll go alphabetically. Please be home, Mina!" she pleaded as she dialed the blonde's number.

"Hello?" Mina asked groggily after six rings.

"Mina! Sorry to wake you, but I need someone to go with me to talk to Morgan DeMarco this morning. I'm supposed to meet her at her dorm room for breakfast at nine. Can you come?"

Mina yawned and sighed. "What time is it now?"

"Eight-thirty and you should be up anyway," a male voice said in the background. "Your mom is making breakfast."

"Oh, hush, Artemis. Yeah, I'll come. Jamie was going to go bike riding all morning anyway."

"Great! Thanks! Say, is Luna over there? She wasn't at the house when I stopped by last night."

"Yeah, she is. And I filled them both in last night after they were finished grilling me about where I'd been so late. Should I see if they want to come?"

"Might as well. Two more heads can't hurt. Meet me a little before nine outside Takeuchi Hall, with or without the cats. We'll go in together."

"Gotcha. See you then."

"Right." Serena hung up the phone and dashed into the kitchen to make a light, pre-breakfast snack.

Once she was done cleaning the few dishes she had used, she checked on Darien one last time. He was still asleep, but now he was holding the pillow she had slept on close to him. Serena smiled and didn't have the heart to wake him just to tell him she was leaving. She walked over to the bed, leaned over, and gave him a soft brief kiss on the lips. Before leaving the apartment, she wrote a note on the pad of paper Darien had next to the phone explaining where she had gone and that she'd be back as soon as she could. She sighed, took one last look, and left.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena was double-checking the amount of space left on Lita's tape as Mina ran up with a half-open blue duffel bag on her shoulder. "Hey, girl," Mina said as she flopped onto the bench beside her fellow blonde.

The meatball-headed woman gave her friend a wide grin. "Hi! Thanks for coming!"

Mina's brows furrowed and she looked Serena over. "You had a good night last night," she declared.

Serena dropped her gaze and blushed. "What makes you say that?" she choked out.

Mina grinned wickedly. "Well, for starters, you are way too relaxed considering what we're here to do. Second, I can feel your blush from here. But most importantly, I am the Scout of Love – of course I know! So, did you have fun?"

Serena blushed some more. "Yes. But this isn't the time to talk about that," she added quickly.

Two moans from Mina's duffel bag drew the girls' attention. "Couldn't you have warned us you were going to run?" a white cat with a golden crescent moon on his forehead whined as he stuck his head out of the open zipper.

"Even Serena's never done this," a black cat with a matching mark added as she joined him.

"Hi, Artemis, Luna," Serena greeted the new arrivals.

The black cat jumped out of the bag and into Serena's lap. "How are you doing?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, Luna. I'm just having a little trouble finding someone with a motive to kill Jackson Knight." She ran her hand along her dark cat's sleek fur. Luna purred.

"You'll be fine," Artemis assured her. "It sounds like you've been doing a great job investigating so far."

"Speaking of which, don't we have to be there at nine?" Mina asked.

"Oh, that's right!" Serena looked at her watch. "It's nine now. Let's move."

"Does that mean we have to get back in the bag?" Luna asked, grimacing.

Serena smiled. "Afraid so. I don't think they allow animals in the dorms." The cats sighed and ducked back into the duffel.

A minute or two later found the two blondes in front of room 106. Autumn Green once again answered Serena's knock. "You again! What do you want this time?"

"Look, Morgan told me to meet her here so we could go out for breakfast. Could I talk to her?" Serena asked.

"She didn't say anything to me." Autumn scowled.

"I'm sorry if we woke you, but we really need to talk to her." Serena was ready to fall on her knees and beg.

Autumn sighed. "I couldn't let you if I wanted to. She's gone." Serena gasped.

"What do you mean gone?" Mina asked quickly.

"Just that. I heard her rummaging around earlier, but I had studied late last night and was trying to sleep in." The brunette opened the door wider. "See?"

"No!" Serena cried at the sight of the empty half of the room. "Do you have any idea where she went?"

"Why should I tell you?" Autumn asked suspiciously.

"She's right, Serena," Mina said before Serena could respond. "She doesn't have to tell us anything. Let's just leave her to take the fall for her roommate." The red bow-bedecked blonde started to drag her meatball-headed counterpart away.

"No, wait!" Autumn cried. "What do you mean, take the fall? What can I do?"

"Well, Morgan might have some connection to the Jackson Knight murder. I'd hate to see the police come here and bug _you_ about it," Mina said somewhat tauntingly.

"Mina, stop it. Could we just look through what's left of her things, if anything? We're just looking for the truth."

Autumn took a long look into Serena's sapphire blue eyes and sighed. "Come in. Do what you need to do." She paused. "You were telling the truth last time, weren't you?" she asked quietly.

Serena shut the door behind them before she answered. "Yes. Darien is my fiancé, and I'm a student here." She smiled. "Oh, this is Mina Aino, another one of my friends. She's a student too."

Autumn nodded. "I'm sorry for kicking you out last time. I guess I was afraid."

"Don't worry about it." Serena and Mina thoroughly checked Morgan's side of the room. All they found was a little bit of make up and some stray papers. Even the posters were gone. "How could she have grabbed everything and left so quickly?" Serena asked, bewildered.

"She never had a lot to grab. A couple of suitcases and her laptop, really," Autumn explained.

"For a whole year?" Mina said incredulously. "That doesn't seem right."

"Maybe she wasn't planning on staying for a whole year," Serena mused. The paper-filled trashcan next to the desk caught her eye. She walked over and looked inside. A pad of paper rested on top of a pile of loose sheets, and Serena pulled it out. A company's name and logo were printed on top.

"What did you find?" Mina asked as Autumn looked on, worried.

"A pad of paper. Says Subtle Subliminals, Inc. on top with their logo," Serena said as she ran her fingers lightly across the top sheet. "I wonder…"

"What are you thinking, Serena?" Mina asked.

"I have an idea. I need a pencil." Autumn snatched one from her own desk and handed it to the meatball-headed blonde. "Thanks." Serena lightly ran the lead across the paper, revealing the impressions of words that had been written on the page above it. "Yes!" she exulted.

"What did you find?" Autumn asked.

"Morgan wrote something on a sheet and tore it off. It left an impression on the paper below it. It says, 'Air Japan, Kyoto, Flight 261, 10:30 am.' I think we all know what that means."

"She's leaving the city," Mina said forcefully.

"Maybe she's just going home." Autumn shrugged. "She's from Kyoto."

"So is Subtle Subliminals," Serena said, taking another look at the pad of paper. "Let me check something. Can I use the phone?" she asked Autumn.

The brunette nodded and quickly handed her the cordless. Serena dialed the number printed on the notepad and crossed her fingers.

"Thank you for calling Subtle Subliminals. This is Janine. How may I help you?"

Serena's luck was holding; they were open on Saturday! "Could I speak with Morgan DeMarco please?"

"I'm sorry, she's on assignment. Can I take a message?"

"No, that's alright. I'll try back later." Serena pressed the off button, handed the phone back to Autumn, and smiled at Mina. "Well, that answers that."

"Morgan works for Subtle Subliminals! Then she can't be a real student!" Mina exclaimed. Autumn gasped.

"Right. This Subtle Subliminals sounds like a rival of Positive Thinking. Morgan could be an industrial spy trying to get information about Davis' learning study," Serena guessed.

"And maybe Jackson found out, and Morgan killed him to keep him quiet!" Mina cried.

"No! She's not like that! I know she's not! She wouldn't kill anyone!" Autumn argued.

Serena put a gentle hand on the distressed woman's arm. "I believe you. But we need to catch Morgan before she leaves so we can prove it. She _has_ to answer our questions. Let's go, Mina." The other blonde nodded and they dashed out the door.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The girls got lucky and caught a cab as soon as they got to the street. After speeding to the airport and paying the driver, they rushed inside and made their way to the nearest Air Japan counter. "What gate does Flight 261 to Kyoto leave from?" Serena asked as Mina subtly let Luna and Artemis out of the duffel bag.

"Gate 172b," the attendant answered after a moment.

"Thanks." Serena and Mina dashed off toward the gate, the cats at their heels.

When they got near the right gate they saw the line of passengers waiting to go through the final metal detectors. All four started examining the people. "Look for lavender hair!" Serena instructed. Just then she saw who they were looking for.

There were three people in front of Morgan DeMarco, and she looked nervous as she fiddled with the straps of her two carry-on bags. She wore a pale blue sundress and white sandals.

"Morgan!" Serena shouted. The lavender-haired girl jumped at the sound and turned toward its source. Her eyes widened, and she tried to force her way through the metal detector. The guard turned her away, so Morgan dropped her bags and ran, Serena and Mina right behind her.

Unseen by the three running girls, the two cats got ahead of them. Spotting an area where the crowd was thin, they braced themselves for impact.

Morgan shot a look over her shoulder and saw the two blondes directly on her tail. She put on a small burst of speed. When she brought her gaze back to the front, the violet-haired woman saw two cats standing directly in her path. She was going too fast to put on the brakes so she tried to go around and wiped out in the process. Serena and Mina were on top of her within moments.

"Why were you running?" Serena asked firmly. "What are you trying to hide?"

"That's none of your business!" Morgan scrambled up and started to brush herself off. "Where do you get off trying to stop me?"

"I told you what I was trying to do. You know, the police should be very interested to know about your romance with Jackson. At that point you leaving abruptly like this will look awfully suspicious," Serena responded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"But I didn't have anything to do with his death!"

"Sure you didn't," Mina scoffed. "Look, we know you work for Subtle Subliminals. You're an industrial spy!"

Morgan's eyes grew wide. "How did you find out about that?" she whispered. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she looked at Serena. "Did you find the computer disks I dropped?" she asked meekly. Serena nodded. Morgan sighed. "Why don't we have that talk?"

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Fifteen minutes later found the three girls (and the two cats hiding under the table) sitting in the airport restaurant eating an early lunch. "So you _are_ an industrial spy?" Mina asked.

"Yes. But Jackson wasn't my partner or anything," Morgan hurried to add. "He was too honorable for that," she finished sadly.

Serena reached out and put a hand over Morgan's clenched one. "Please, tell us everything."

The lavender-haired girl nodded. "I graduated from college two years ago and was immediately hired by Subtle Subliminals. I registered here for spring semester under false pretenses and tried to work my way into the psychology department." She smiled ruefully. "I attempted to use my charms to win over Damien Vrice, since he seemed to be in charge of the learning study and that's what my employer is most interested in, but I got rebuffed. Turns out he's been living with his girlfriend for the last three and a half years." Morgan sighed. "So I decided to go for the next best thing since rumor had it that all three of them had access to the data from all three studies. I went for Jackson Knight."

"What happened?" Mina asked, caught up in the tale.

"He resisted at first, but I eventually won him over and we started dating. But he wouldn't tell me anything. So I signed up for the study group hoping to learn what I wanted that way."

"So what happened on Thursday afternoon?" Serena asked. "Why was he so cold toward you? Had he found out you were trying to use him?"

"I don't know. He'd been distant for about a week and a half, really concerned with the studies. Said there were problems, but nothing more than that. I confronted him on Thursday, and you saw the results. That's all I know," Morgan finished softly, closing her eyes.

Mina gasped. "You fell for him, didn't you?"

Morgan nodded. "I had started to." She opened her eyes and tears fell down her cheeks. "I have this nagging feeling that his death is connected to Professor Davis' studies somehow. Did you find anything on those disks?"

Serena shook her head. "Not yet. Our friend Amy Mizuno is working on it."

"Good. I hope she comes up with something soon," Morgan said sincerely.

"Me too," Serena agreed softly.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Hours later, Serena sat on the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple while the party went into full swing behind her. Luna and Artemis said they were going to Central Command to check if they could get any information there, and Darien had said he'd wait for her inside; now all that had to happen for her to be able to start enjoying the party was for Mina and Jamie to get there. Finally, they arrived.

Serena grinned. "So this is what I get for promising to wait for you, huh? The party's already started!"

"Oh, hush," Mina said, returning the grin. "Jamie got back late from his ride and had to shower."

"It's true; for once, it's my fault," Jamie agreed, earning him a smack on the arm. "And believe me, I _needed_ to shower."

"Fine, fine," Serena said dismissively with a twinkle in her eye. "You're here now, so let's party!" The three of them hurried inside.

They found the dance area packed, and threw quick waves to Chad, who was the DJ for the evening. He smiled and waved back. "From what I've heard so far, Chad's going to do great!" Serena enthused.

"I hope so; he's been really nervous," Jamie said.

Mina then dragged her boyfriend to the snack table. Serena laughed and started looking around for Darien. "Serena!" Raye called as she walked up to the petite blonde. "How did everything go with Morgan? Darien told me you went to talk to her this morning with Mina."

"Everything went fine after we tracked her down at the airport."

"The airport?" Raye exclaimed. "Was she trying to take off?"

"Yeah. But Mina and I convinced her to stay. I'll tell you everything later, when we can talk without needing to shout at each other."

"Right. And I'll hold you to that too. Now I'm going to make sure Chad has everything he needs." The raven-haired priestess started to make her way through the crowd toward where her scruffy, sandy-brown-haired boyfriend stood amidst his equipment.

Suddenly a hand covered Serena's eyes and an arm wrapped around her waist. She tensed.

"So, Kitten, I hear life's gotten pretty interesting since we left."

Serena sighed as she turned around after she was released. "Haruka! You scared the daylights out of me!"

The tall blonde smirked. "It's good to see you too." Serena smiled.

"How are you holding up?" the graceful, aqua-haired woman next to her asked.

"I'm doing fine, Michiru. In fact, I think our investigation is finally getting somewhere."

"That's what Setsuna told us. Is there any way we can help?" Michiru asked.

"Besides severely hurting whoever did this?" Haruka added, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Serena!" another voice called out before the petite blonde could answer. "It's so good to see you!"

Serena laughed as a fifteen-year-old body with long, straight, black hair crashed into her and squeezed her tight. "It's good to see you, too, Hotaru!" she said as she squeezed back.

"Setsuna-mama told us about what's been happening," Hotaru said, her dark violet eyes flashing, after she pulled away. "We're here to help any way we can."

"Thank you, all of you," Serena responded. "I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something for you to do. In the meantime, enjoy yourselves. This is a party!"

Hotaru laughed. "Great! If you need me I'll be over by the snack table. Airplane cuisine leaves a lot to be desired." She paused. "Lita was in charge of the snacks, right?"

Serena giggled. "Yeah. And don't worry. Neither Mina nor I had any hand in them."

Hotaru's eyes widened. "Oh! I didn't mean it _that_ way!"

"Don't worry about it." Sapphire blue eyes sparkled with mirth. "Just go enjoy!" Hotaru smiled and left.

"Haven't you improved your cooking skills yet?" Haruka asked incredulously.

Serena smiled gently. "Actually I have. But don't tell anyone. Lita's been giving me lessons, and we want to surprise everybody. Mina on the other hand…" All three women laughed. "By the way, did you know your music is being used to help people lose weight, Michiru?"

The aqua-haired woman blinked. "Lose weight?"

"Amy and I stopped by Positive Thinking, Inc., and Jeffrey Cross played us their 'Lose Weight Fast' tape to show us how subliminals work. It was that last violin piece you recorded before you went on tour along with sounds of the ocean."

Michiru scowled. "I knew I never should have signed that contract." She gave Haruka a look. "This is all your fault, you know."

It was Haruka's turn to blink. "How is this my fault?"

"I believe you said, and I quote, 'What could a little more exposure hurt?' This is what comes of a little more exposure."

Haruka shrugged. "So now you'll have a lot of dieting women scrambling to buy your music. What's wrong with that?"

Serena giggled while Michiru sighed and smiled. "I suppose nothing. This just isn't the kind of exposure I wanted."

Haruka wiggled her eyebrows. "I know. _That_ will have to wait until we're alone." Navy blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Oh, stop it. Look, Serena, you have our cell numbers. Feel free to call anytime if you need us. Right now we're going to say hello to the others."

"Okay, thanks." Serena grinned. "Have fun!" She watched as the other two women waved and walked off.

Serena gasped as once again her eyes were covered and an arm wrapped around her midsection. "Well, I know it's not Haruka," she said, breathless.

"I agree. I am most definitely _not_ Haruka."

The petite blonde spun around and came face to face with a certain ebony-haired man with midnight blue eyes. "You're trying to scare me to death, right? You and Haruka have it all planned out."

Darien grinned as his right arm joined his left in holding her. "And it will more than likely work too."

Serena rested her hands on the taller man's shoulders. "I think so too. So how have you been enjoying the party so far?"

"I've been having a good time. I see you invited a few of _my_ old classmates."

"It was only fair. The party is for _everybody_ after all."

"Thank you." Darien's expression grew soft. "You know I'd never hurt you, right? I love you too much."

Serena smiled gently. "I know. I trust you. And I love you too."

Darien perked up as a slow song started. "May I have the honor of this dance, Your Highness?"

"Of course, Your Highness. The honor is mine."

With that the couple made their way into the dancing crowd and moved together slowly, lost in their own little world.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Raye, Mina, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Lita stood together close to the kitchen watching the royal pair. "They look so happy together," Hotaru said wistfully.

"They are," Mina said with a sigh.

"I can't believe someone thought they could get away with framing Darien," Haruka said, quietly fuming. Michiru rested a hand on her arm.

"I cannot _wait_ to find out who it is," Raye growled. "No one does this to _my_ friends and gets away with it!"

Lita grinned viciously. "When the three of us get through with this guy, there isn't going to be anything left."

"Three?" Michiru asked calmly. "What makes you think only the three of you want a piece of him?" Mina and Hotaru nodded their agreement.

"Setsuna-mama would help too, but she said she can't leave the Time Gate right now," Hotaru said. "And we better include Amy. I wouldn't want her to feel left out."

"We can't have that," Michiru said. "It would be awfully rude."

"She'd never forgive us," Lita added.

"We better not tell Serena. She'd just spoil our fun by telling us not to," Mina warned.

"Sometimes she's too soft," Haruka commented.

"Maybe, but that's her greatest strength, the power of her love," Raye said seriously, her eyes on the latest subject of discussion. Haruka nodded her head in concession of the point.

They all grew quiet and watched as the song ended.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Darien and Serena swayed together for a few beats after the song ended before coming out of their little world. They smiled at each other and looked around the room. Their gaze fell on the outside wall first, and they started to make their way in that direction. Soon the couple had joined Amy and Greg on the sofa that had been placed along the wall across from the snack table and door to the kitchen.

"Hi, guys," Serena greeted cheerfully. "How are you enjoying the party?"

Both members of the seated couple smiled softly. "We're having a good time," Greg responded.

"How's the work on those disks coming?" Serena asked Amy.

"I'm almost done looking through the information on the green disk, and I haven't cracked the blue one yet. My computer's still working on it. If it breaks through while I'm not there, I set up my Mercury computer to let me know and I can access the information through it."

"Great!" Serena grinned. "I was wondering if you'd show considering what I dumped on you last night."

"You didn't dump it on me. You brought evidence to the person you thought most qualified to examine it – and I offered to help. So don't think you're imposing."

"Of course you're the most qualified!" Serena enthused. "You're a genius and a whiz with computers on top of it! And I appreciate everything you're doing for us." With that she grabbed Darien's hand and gave it a squeeze.

He returned it. "I'm grateful, too, Amy," Darien added.

"Anything for my friends. So what's the next step, Serena?"

"Well, Mina and I stopped by and brought Captain McMahon up to date on what we know so far, and he said he'd pass it along to Lieutenant Alexander. I'm not completely sure where to go next, although I have a feeling that whatever information is on that blue disk is going to be key." Serena sighed, then perked up as she caught the start of Janet Jackson's "Control." "Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, grabbing Amy and Greg's hands. "We all have to dance to this one! I love this song! Come on, Darien!" she said over her shoulder.

Amy giggled as she and Greg were pulled to their feet. "Oh, Serena, you are so impulsive!"

But Serena wasn't paying attention. Her gaze was caught on the sight of Darien's blank, slack-jawed expression. "Darien?" she breathed. His eyes darted back and forth briefly, as though he were looking for the source of the sound, before settling back into the blank look, and he didn't respond.

"What's going on?" Greg asked worriedly.

Amy and Serena looked at each other, realization dawning on each of their faces. "I think Darien is in a trance," the blue-haired woman answered. "We need to get him alone and figure out what's going on."

"Right. Darien, let's get you somewhere less crowded," Serena said as she took the ebony-haired man's arm and started to move him out of the main room. He nodded and allowed himself to be led.

Halfway across the room, they were met by Raye, Haruka and Michiru. "Is something wrong? You guys look worried," Michiru asked intently. Serena merely pointed at Darien.

"What's with him?" Haruka asked, confused.

"We think he's in a trance," Amy responded. "Raye, can we use your bedroom? We should get him alone."

Raye nodded. "Go ahead. I'll make sure the others know what's going on."

"And we'll make sure you aren't interrupted," Haruka added. "Lead the way."

The six of them continued toward the bedroom while Raye hurried to the kitchen. Haruka and Michiru stood outside the door while Amy, Greg, and Serena took Darien inside. "Let us know if you need us," Michiru said before closing the door.

Because the walls were so thin, the song could still be heard, and Darien remained in his trance. "So what do we do now?" Greg asked.

"I'm not sure. Serena, try talking to him," Amy suggested.

Serena tried to swallow some of his nervousness and nodded. "Darien?"

He shifted his half-lidded gaze to the petite blonde in front of him. "Yes?" he responded softly.

"Are you okay?" Serena bit her lower lip.

"Yes."

Serena looked at Amy, her sapphire blues beginning to get a bit wild. "Stay calm, Serena," Amy told her friend. "He's okay; he's just in a trance." The blue-haired genius looked the ebony-haired man over. "Darien, do you know what triggered this trance?"

Darien's midnight blues flitted briefly toward Amy then returned to Serena. He didn't respond.

"What's going on, Amy? Why didn't he answer you?"

Amy's brow creased in thought. "I think it might be that he doesn't trust me enough. Think about what you've read, Serena. Trust is vital to the relationship between the therapist and patient when using hypnotism. Even highly suggestible people may not fall under if they don't trust the person attempting to do so."

Serena took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. I think I'm better now. And I remember what you're talking about." She looked at her fiancé with a thoughtful expression. "Darien, do you trust Amy?"

"Serena…" Amy began, but was cut off by Darien's response.

"Yes, I trust Amy."

"Then why didn't you answer her question?"

"I don't trust her completely."

Amy nodded while Serena gasped. "Why not?" the blonde asked, confused.

"The way I remember growing up taught me never to trust anyone completely. That way I can't be hurt as easily."

The other three people in the room looked at each other in response to the completely calm tone in which the hypnotized man spoke. "Then what about me?" Serena asked.

Darien smiled softly. "You've always been the exception. Somehow you broke through all my defenses and I found myself trusting you more than I ever had anyone else before. I have yet to regret it."

"Oh, Darien," Serena whispered, tears coming to her eyes.

"Don't cry, Serena. It breaks my heart when you cry."

Serena smiled. "Don't worry, Darien. They're happy tears." He nodded. "So do you know what triggered this trance?"

"The music. The song started, like it always does."

Serena quickly glanced at Amy, who had a look of concentration on her face. "Hmm. I think I have a theory, but I want to be sure."

Just then, they noticed the song end, and Chad start to talk to the crowd. They couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Darien came to quickly. "Serena?" he asked in a normal tone of voice. "Where are we and how did we get here?"

"We're in Raye's bedroom," Serena explained. "You really don't remember?"

"No, I don't." Darien looked confused. "What happened?"

Amy and Serena looked at each other. "It looks like you blacked out again," Amy answered.

Darien's shoulders dropped and he closed his eyes. "Great. Wonderful. Now it's just happening randomly."

"I'm not so sure about that," Amy said. "Greg, could you go ask Chad for that CD he was playing? I want to test my theory."

"You bet. I'll be right back." Greg hurried out of the room.

Haruka stuck her head in afterward. "Is everything okay? Is he better?"

"Better?" Darien asked, his eyes popping open. "What do you mean by that?"

"I guess that answers that question. How do you feel?" the tall blonde woman asked as she and Michiru stepped inside and closed the door.

"Confused. I don't know what's going on and no one's telling me."

"I'll explain everything as soon as I'm sure," Amy said as Serena wrapped her arms around his waist. "For now, why don't you sit on the bed and let me do a scan? We'll see if this is being caused by anything physical." Darien complied after giving Serena a squeeze.

A light knock sounded from the door as Amy began her scan with her computer. Mina and Hotaru quickly entered the room. "Raye told us what happened. Is everything okay?" Mina asked.

"So far," Serena responded as she watched Darien.

"The Mercury computer didn't find anything physically wrong with you, Darien. You haven't hit your head or had any accidents like that, have you?" Amy asked as she put her computer away.

"No, not that I remember," Darien answered, draping an arm over Serena's shoulders when she sat next to him on the bed.

Greg reentered the room, CD in hand. "Here you go, Amy. Chad said not to worry about hurrying back with it."

The blue-haired woman smiled as she took the jewel case. "Thank you, Greg." She turned to examine the room. "Now where is Raye's CD player?"

"On the desk under the window," the black-haired priestess said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her. Amy jumped. "Surprise," Raye said with a smirk.

Darien sighed. "Should we wait for Lita and the guys?"

"Lita will be here shortly, but the guys said they'd stay out there and keep people from looking for us," Raye explained.

"Think of it this way," Mina said, grinning. "This will save everyone the hassle of explaining what happened later." Darien rolled his eyes and conceded the point.

A minute later, Lita slipped into the room and Amy moved over to the CD player. "Now that everyone's here, I'll explain what I'm about to do," the blue-haired woman began. She put the disc into the stereo. "Darien went into a trance earlier when Janet Jackson's 'Control' started playing. When Serena asked if he knew what caused the trance, he responded that it was the music. The song started, like it always does." Everyone watched the blue-haired woman intently, Darien a bit confused. "What kind of music have you been listening to during your subliminal sessions, Darien?"

The ebony-haired man blinked at the apparent change in topic then answered. "I've listened to a variety. But rock songs seem to be the most common."

"And what do you think about while the music is playing?"

"Not much. I was told it was best if I let my mind wander so I do."

Amy nodded. "Okay. I'm thinking that it's this particular song that triggers your hypnotic state. I'd like to test this theory. Is that alright, Darien?"

"That's fine. It'll at least answer one of my questions."

Amy forwarded the CD to the right track and pressed play. Once again, the beginning chords of "Control" could be heard by those in the bedroom, and once again Darien's eyes went blank and jaw went slack. Everyone gasped. Amy stopped the music, and Darien began to blink. "Let him come out of it naturally," Amy warned before anyone could do anything.

Finally, Darien shook his head slightly and looked around. "Darien, how do you feel?" Serena asked breathlessly.

"I feel pretty good." He looked at Amy. "So when are you going to play the song?"

Everyone blinked. "Already done, Darien. It confirms my theory. Janet Jackson's 'Control' is a trigger to put you into a hypnotic trance," Amy explained.

"Does that mean Darien was hypnotized into shooting Jackson?" Mina asked.

"Probably not," Serena answered. Everyone but Amy looked at her strangely. "What? I studied this too! And what I read said that most studies show you can't hypnotize someone into doing something they wouldn't do otherwise."

"She's right," Amy confirmed as Darien smiled and kissed the flustered blonde.

"I didn't realize you'd studied that much," Darien whispered into Serena's ear. "You surprised me."

Serena huffed lightly then her eyes grew wide. "Oh, gods," she breathed, sitting up ramrod straight.

"What? What is it?" Amy asked as everyone turned worried eyes on the now-blushing blonde.

"Oh, my," was Serena's only response as she continued to stare straight ahead.

Darien took her face in both his hands and forced her to look him in the eye. She only blushed more. "Serena, tell me what's wrong," he said seriously.

"Nothing's wrong exactly, but…" The meatball-headed blonde bit her lower lip. "Well," she continued when Darien urged her to continue with a look, "that song played last night on the radio."

"It did?" Darien asked, drawing back slightly. "I don't remember blanking out at all."

Serena blushed some more. "It was after we'd gone to bed. About two thirty in the morning actually."

"But we went to bed about twelve thirty," he said, bewildered, dropping his hands from her cheeks.

"I know."

Darien sat and thought for a moment. "Two thirty? You're sure?"

"Definitely. I woke up because I didn't feel your arms around me anymore and looked at the clock. It said two thirty six and the song had just started."

The ebony-haired man's brows furrowed. "But I never let go of you in my sleep," he muttered. Then his eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

Serena nodded. "Oh, yeah. That's what I mean."

This time it was Darien's turn to blush furiously. "Oh, gods."

"My thoughts exactly," Serena said with a nod.

"I thought I was acting out a dream."

"Oh, it was definitely dream worthy, but you had been in a trance."

By this time most of the others were lost. But not Mina. She stood watching the blushing couple with impish delight twinkling in her eyes, and she barely held back her laughter. "This is so neat!" she exclaimed. "So did Darien being hypnotized make it better?"

"Mina!" Serena cried while she and Darien turned an even deeper shade of red.

The bouncing blonde's comments made Haruka and Michiru realize what Serena and Darien had been talking about. It was all the tall blonde could do to keep from laughing.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Raye asked irritably. She hated being left out.

"Oh, come on," Mina scoffed. "Put one and one together," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"That's two and two," Amy corrected as realization dawned on everyone else's faces.

"Not this time, Ames," Lita said with a smirk. "Mina's right on the money." Serena buried her head in Darien's chest while he hid his face in her hair.

"What are you…" Amy's voice trailed off as she finally got what the others had been trying to say. "Oh!" She blushed even more than the couple in question.

Greg came over and took her in his arms as the others laughed. "It's okay, Amy."

Amy took a few deep breaths and looked back at the crowd, a light tint still staining her cheeks. "Well! As… interesting as this last topic was, we should get back on track."

"Definitely," Darien muttered, raising his head. Serena peeked an eye out from where she remained buried in Darien's chest and arms.

"The fact remains that someone had a reason to hypnotize you, Darien," Amy stated.

He nodded while Serena sat up. "We just met an expert in hypnotism yesterday," the petite blonde said.

Amy's eyebrows rose. "That's right! Darien, have you ever met Jeffrey Cross?"

"No. I hadn't even heard of him until Serena told me about what you guys did yesterday."

"Hmm. I still have a feeling he's connected to all this somehow," the blue-haired genius said thoughtfully.

"Who's Jeffrey Cross?" Haruka asked.

"He's the president of the company that's helping fund Professor Davis' learning study," Serena explained.

"You mentioned him earlier," Michiru said.

"Yeah. But what I didn't say is that he was once convicted for manslaughter. He's a suspect, but we haven't found any proof linking him to the murder."

"So what do we do now?" Lita asked.

"Maybe we should get another hypnosis specialist to undo Darien's hypnotism," Raye suggested.

"Like who?" Haruka asked.

"Davis," Darien said. "I've been having weekly hypnosis sessions with him for the past six weeks."

"Davis? As in the Davis running the learning study?" Michiru asked.

"Yeah, that's him," Darien confirmed.

"What if he's the one who did this in the first place? Is he a suspect?" Hotaru asked.

Serena nodded a bit sadly. "He has to be. There's a lot of money riding on these studies, and he's an expert in hypnotism." She looked at her fiancé. "I'm sorry."

Darien sighed. "I understand. You're covering all the angles, just like you should. Personal feelings can't get in the way."

"Well, we can't go to him then," Mina said with a shrug. She looked at Serena and Amy. "Can either of you do it?"

The two women in question looked at each other. "I don't know…" Serena started.

"Oh, come on, Serena. You put Mina and me into a trance a couple of weeks ago at the get-together at my place. You can do it," Lita encouraged.

"There's something else to consider," Amy said. "Right now, if we undo the commands, we'll be destroying evidence."

"What do you mean?" Raye asked.

"She means that if we can show that 'Control' puts me into a hypnotic trance, it might help prove that even if I did shoot Jackson Knight it wasn't of my own volition," Darien explained.

"So why was Darien hypnotized again?" Haruka asked.

"Probably to be used as the murder weapon," Amy said.

"But we know that he's incapable of murder in any case!" Hotaru exclaimed.

"The person who hypnotized him wouldn't have, at least not until it came time to pull the trigger," Serena commented.

"That's true," Amy agreed. "Now we just have to come up with a motive that's more than just a theory."

"Hold on a second," Michiru said, her brow creased slightly in thought. "Maybe undoing the commands wouldn't be a good idea, but couldn't you use a trance to find out what really happened Thursday night?"

Serena and Amy looked at each other while Darien blinked and Lita smacked her forehead. "That idea has possibilities," Amy concluded.

"Couldn't Serena use the Silver Crystal like she did on Damien Vrice?" Mina asked.

"No," Serena protested before anyone else could. "I knew exactly what I was looking for with Damien. And it had just happened so it was first in his thoughts. I don't know what happened on Thursday so I'd have to dig, and that could cause damage. I can control the crystal quite well, but I haven't mastered it yet, and Darien most definitely is _not_ going to be my guinea pig."

"We'll have to do this the old fashioned way. Darien, are you up for it?" Amy asked.

"I want the truth. I'm up for it," he responded seriously.

"Serena, are you going to be able to handle this?"

"Aren't you going to do it, Amy?" Lita asked.

"No. Darien only trusts Serena enough for this to work. She's the only one he would respond to when he went into his trance earlier," Amy explained.

"I'll be fine," Serena said softly, looking into Darien's eyes. "For Darien, I'll be fine." He smiled at her gently.

"Then we'll do it tomorrow," Raye declared. "Come here after lunch, and you can use the fire room. No one will bother you there."

"Why not in the morning?" Hotaru asked.

"Are you kidding?" Raye scoffed. "It's going to take us all morning to clean up after this crowd." Hotaru giggled.

"So how do we want to work this?" Haruka asked.

"Well, I guess it's up to Darien. Whoever he feels comfortable with. Although…" Serena eyed the youngest member of the group speculatively. "I think I'd like you to be here, Hotaru. Your special abilities may come in handy."

"I can heal too, Serena," Darien protested.

"I know, but what if something happens to you? I'm just going on a hunch anyway."

Darien smiled. "That's fine with me then, as long as you want to be here, Hotaru."

"I just want to help any way I can. I'll be here," the black-haired girl said with a gentle smile.

"Anyone else?" Serena asked.

Darien sighed. "I suppose anyone in this room. I went into a trance with all you here so I guess I'd be okay."

"We won't be here, Darien," Michiru said, smiling. "I think we'll use some of our… resources, and do some background checks. We'll see what we can come up with."

"Just give us a list of everyone involved in the studies," Haruka added.

Just then the Mercury computer started beeping. Amy quickly pulled it out of her extra-dimensional pocket and flipped it open.

"Is it the blue disk?" Serena asked eagerly. "Did you get through the encryption?"

"No," Amy replied, reading the information on the small screen. "I had my computer running an analysis of the information on the green disk for comparison with my own results."

"So what does it say?" Lita asked.

"Well, Professor Davis has been using the learning study to establish a statistical improvement in learning for those in the study. Some get subliminal messages on their tapes, some don't, and some don't listen to tapes at all. But all of them participate in the same study group and take the same tests. There's a similar method being used in the other two studies as well."

"So?" Raye asked.

"So the information on this disk says that the subliminals work. Davis is almost done with the studies and he's had excellent results."

"Something in your voice says you don't believe it," Haruka said.

"I'm not sure. There's a lot of statistics and numbers I haven't finished looking at," Amy said as she sat at Raye's desk. "Greg, could you hand me the folder in my bag?" He nodded and reached into a navy blue bag by the door.

"I don't know if he's right yet or not," the blue-haired genius continued as she took her folder from her boyfriend with a smile. "I've been looking through the individual files to see how he interpreted the results. Some of his reasoning is confusing. I'll have to work on it some more." She opened the folder and pulled out a piece of paper.

Before she could go on there was a quiet knock and the door opened. "Hey, guys," Jamie said as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, we have a few more answers. A lot more questions, but a few more answers," Lita said as he joined Mina where she sat next to the desk.

"What about Darien's file?" Serena asked Amy, returning to the subject at hand.

"It's interesting you brought that up. I couldn't find it. I suppose it's possible I've overlooked something, but…" Amy shrugged.

"Hey, wow!" Jamie exclaimed before anyone could respond. "You found him!" He pointed to the Positive Thinking brochure tucked inside Amy's folder.

"Found who?" Serena asked, rushing over to the desk.

"The guy I saw going into the psychology building Thursday afternoon. He's probably wearing a wig in this picture, but it's definitely him." He pulled out the color pamphlet and handed it to Serena. "This is your man."

"Jeffrey Cross," Serena whispered, looking at Amy.

"He said he'd never been on campus," Amy said.

"I'd say this bears some investigation. Jamie, you're with me tomorrow morning at nine. I want to make sure you've got the right guy," Serena said decisively.

"Sure," Jamie said with a shrug.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"So what's the game plan again?" Jamie asked the next morning as he, Serena, and Lita sat in the tall brunette's green station wagon outside a house a brief search had revealed as being Jeffrey Cross' residence.

"I suppose we can just ring the doorbell. When Amy and I talked to him he said he had never been on campus. If you're right and he's the man you saw going into the psychology building on Thursday, he was lying," Serena explained.

"And the only reason he'd lie about that would be if he were up to no good. Killing Jackson Knight, perhaps?" Lita added.

"I'll do my best, guys." With that, Jamie exited the car, the two women soon following.

They had just gotten out of the car and were about to cross the street when a man came out of their destination. He wore a light robe over a T-shirt and a pair of flannel boxers. When he bent over to pick up the newspaper resting on the doorstep, they could all see a shiny head with a fringe of hair around the temples. "That _is_ Jeffrey Cross!" Serena exclaimed.

"See? I told you! That's the man I saw!" Jamie cried, excited.

Cross' head rose at the sound of the younger man's exuberant shout. His eyes widened and he hurried back into his house, slamming the door.

Serena, Jamie, and Lita rushed across the street. "So who do you think caused _that_ reaction?" the blonde woman asked. "I sure wasn't expecting it."

"Got me. What do we do now?" Jamie asked.

"We ring the doorbell," Serena said firmly. "I still want to talk to him."

"So let's do it," Lita said.

The three of them moved to the front door they had seen Cross disappear behind, and Serena rang the bell.

"Go away!" came the response.

"I only want to talk to you, Mr. Cross," Serena pleaded.

"I don't have anything to say to you," his muffled voice called back.

Serena's expression became determined. "Look, Mr. Cross. When you talked to me on Friday you said you had never been on the Tokyo University campus. Why did you lie about that?"

"You'd better leave, or I'm calling the police!"

"That's not such a bad idea, Mr. Cross. Maybe you can tell _them_ about why you lied to Serena," Lita said indignantly.

The three students stayed on Jeffrey Cross' doorstep for the next ten minutes, trying in vain to get him to talk to them. Then a beat-up blue sedan followed by a squad car pulled up. Lieutenant Alexander stepped out of the sedan and walked toward the house, while two uniformed officers got out of the other car and waited near it.

"Lieutenant Alexander, I'm glad you're here!" Serena greeted the rumpled man with a smile.

"Lieutenant Alexander is here?" The front door flew open and Jeffrey Cross stomped out. "Lieutenant, these _children_ are harassing me! Arrest them!"

"What?" Lita cried in disbelief.

"We are not!" Serena protested.

"Cool it, all of you!" Alexander snapped. "Now then, it's Sunday morning and you're disturbing the peace of this man's home. Do you have a problem?"

Serena straightened in indignation. "I'm investigating Jackson Knight's murder, and this man is a prime suspect!"

"What?" Cross shouted. "You have got to be kidding! Me, a suspect in a murder? How dare you?"

"Just be quiet, Mr. Cross; I'll ask the questions. You know," the lieutenant directed at Serena, "he's got a point. Just where do you get off butting into a police investigation? How dare you badger prominent citizens in _my_ city?"

"I can explain," the petite blonde began.

"Save your breath. I'm sure I've heard it all before." Alexander brushed her off with a flick of his wrist. "You've decided you're some sort of amateur detective, and you don't think your precious lover boy killed the professor's assistant. So now you're looking for some other sap to take the fall for him and you think you've got evidence linking Cross to the crime. And this gives you the right to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"Now hold on one second," Serena said, her sapphire blue eyes blazing with suppressed fury. "I have every right to try to find the truth. I _do_ have some suspects other than Darien Shields and I _have_ found evidence linking others to the crime. If you'd just let me explain!"

"Oh, save it. I don't want to hear the fantasies of a love struck teenager with an overactive imagination!" The lieutenant's face was inches from Serena's. She refused to budge. "I have been a cop for the past twenty three years and a detective for the last seventeen. The last thing I need in the middle of a murder case is some child who's decided she's some hot-shot detective telling me I don't know how to do my job!"

He took a deep breath, reining in his anger, while Serena stood glaring at him, her jaw clenched almost to the breaking point. "I'm only going to say this once: I have a suspect. I have a motive, opportunity, and a murder weapon that the suspect is supposed to have been the last person to see before it was stolen with his prints all over it. On top of that, the suspect can't even offer up the weakest of alibis. It's an open-and-shut case, so back the hell off!"

Serena stood there, not having moved once during Alexander's tirade, trying to get her own anger under control. She could feel Lita behind her doing the same thing. Shooting a glance at Jeffrey Cross, she saw him standing there, arms crossed over his chest with a smug, triumphant look on his face. Finally she had gathered herself together enough to speak. "I'm trying to help your investigation. If you could just see that…"

"Don't bother, Serena," Jamie interrupted. "He's obviously not interested in keeping an open mind. But I will tell you one thing," he said to the lieutenant before the man could respond, "I told you I saw a man going into the psych building late Thursday afternoon. This is him." He gestured to Jeffrey Cross, who looked indignant. "He told Serena he had never been on the Tokyo University campus. Now I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job or anything, but you might want to find out why he lied about that. Let's go, ladies." He led Lita and Serena back to the car, leaving Alexander looking speculatively at a suddenly nervous looking Cross.

The three of them got into the station wagon, Lita slamming her door. "Thanks for the help, Jamie," Serena said.

"Anytime. I just can't believe he was that rude," Jamie said from the back seat.

"I don't care if he _is_ a cop, he had no right to talk to you that way!" Lita raged. "He's lucky I didn't smash his face in!"

"Calm down, Lita," Jamie soothed. "He's not worth it." He turned to Serena. "So what now? Do you back off the case?"

"Not in _this_ lifetime," the petite blonde said determinedly. "I know we're close; we just have to keep looking. We should drop by Amy's and see if she's gotten into that blue disk yet."

Jamie smiled. "I'm glad you aren't letting that blowhard intimidate you. Could you drop me off at Mina's on your way to Amy's? She and I are supposed to do a few things with her parents today."

"No problem," Lita said as she started the car.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Fifteen minutes later, Serena and Lita walked into Amy's apartment after hearing a faint "come in" in response to their knock. They went back to Amy's bedroom and opened the door.

"What the heck?" Lita asked as Serena gasped at seeing Morgan DeMarco sitting next to Amy by one of the computers.

"What are you doing here?" the petite blonde asked, bewildered.

"Hi there," Morgan said, embarrassed. "I tried to find you at the Cherry Hill Temple, but the old priest said you weren't there. Then I remembered you mentioned your friend Amy Mizuno was working on the disks, so I came here."

Silence fell as Morgan and Serena gazed at each other speculatively while Lita and Amy looked on. Finally the lavender-haired girl sighed. "Look, I know I haven't given you much reason to trust me, but after our talk at the airport I realized I couldn't run away from this. I need to see it through and find out the truth. For Jackson."

"What about your job at Subtle Subliminals?" the blonde asked gently.

"I don't know," she responded softly. "I haven't really given them any information about Davis' studies yet. The time I spent with Jackson has made me question the ethics of spying." She took a couple of deep breaths. "But after seeing what's on these disks, I know I'm staying until this mystery's solved," Morgan said in a stronger tone of voice.

"What did you guys find?" Serena asked with hope dawning in her eyes as she and Lita rushed over to the computer.

"I finally broke through the encryption," Amy began.

"And?" Lita asked eagerly.

"Professor Davis' data suggested that subliminals have been very successful in a variety of areas. But I couldn't quite follow his reasoning. Apparently Jackson had the same problem, so he reevaluated the information. The blue disk had his results. It looks like Jackson sorted through the data, eliminated the statistical discrepancies, and did his reevaluation," Amy explained.

"What did he find?" Serena asked breathlessly.

"Jackson came to the conclusion that while the studies don't _disprove_ the effectiveness of subliminals, they don't _prove_ it either. There were a variety of effects, from a large improvement or success, depending on the study, to no change or apparent effect, to a drastic worsening of whatever condition the study was focusing on."

Serena thought about it for a moment. "So what you're saying is…" She trailed off, a sneaky suspicion forming in her mind.

"What she's saying is Davis lied!" Morgan interrupted. "He falsified the data to come up with the results he and Cross wanted!"


	5. Chapter 5

Power of Suggestion - Chapter 5

by Una Moonstar

ANs: Well, it's good to know that my efforts to make things suspenseful have been successful. -grin- Here's the next installment.

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

"Well, that puts a whole new spin on things," Lita said after a moment of shocked silence.

Serena looked at the floor as her brows furrowed in thought. "If Davis falsified the data, that would put his career and reputation on the line if anyone found out," she stated.

"And Jackson did," Morgan added softly.

"What about Cross?" Lita asked. "Jamie saw him going into the psych building."

"It's possible Davis had no idea the data was being falsified," Amy conjectured. "Cross could have hired Jackson to make sure Davis saw what he was supposed to see. Then Jackson asked for too much or threatened to go to Davis with the actual results he had been keeping for his own use and Cross had to kill him to keep him quiet."

"No!" Morgan protested. "Jackson would never do that! He was too honorable!"

"Okay," Serena conceded, looking up. "Then what if Davis and Cross were working together to be assured of the government contracts Cross hinted he was trying for? That's a lot of money."

"That's a logical scenario, Serena," Amy said.

"But there's nothing concrete," Morgan said with disappointment.

"Maybe if I could show you Darien's file, there would be something, but..." Amy trailed off as she clicked an icon. The words "File Deleted" appeared.

"What about the rest of the students?" Lita asked.

"There's a master list I had been going through when I did my analysis. This isn't the only missing file. There are nine total missing, three from each study," Amy explained.

"There are only six in the learning study!" Serena exclaimed.

"For the summer term," Amy corrected. "All three were involved over the regular year."

"So where does that leave us?" Lita asked.

"I don't know," Serena almost whimpered. They were so close!

"Um, we're not done yet," Morgan said, reaching into one of the back pockets of her jeans shorts. She pulled out a yellow computer disk and handed it to Amy, who replaced the blue disk with it. "I found this in Jackson's computer while I was there last. I had it in a different pocket." Serena's face lit up.

"It has the same encryption as the blue disk. Shouldn't take too long to crack," Amy said, staring at the screen. Moments later, a list of files popped up. "Got it! It looks like the missing files," the blue-haired genius mused. "So what are we looking for?" she asked as she opened Darien's file.

"Music," Serena answered.

"Right." Amy called up the list of music Darien had listened to over the past six weeks. "Here it is. 'Control.' It was added three weeks ago, and seems to have been played a bit more frequently than anything else, especially this past week. Four times during Tuesday's session."

"And he wouldn't even remember it being played once," Lita said.

"A very subtle technique. I'm impressed," Amy said as she leaned back in her chair. "Because a song is the trigger, Davis could put Darien under any time he wanted without anything being traceable to him. For example, he could call Darien and play the song. If Darien picked up, he would immediately go into a trance and wouldn't remember the call. If anyone else picked up, that person would probably pass it off as a prank call."

Serena grimaced at the thought. "Are you sure we shouldn't undo the suggestion?"

"This could come back and bite us in the butt," Lita agreed.

"I think it's a chance we have to take. The police are going to take some serious convincing to even consider that Darien might not have committed the crime. We'll just have to move fast." Amy looked at her two worried friends with a serious, yet sympathetic look. "We can do it."

Serena smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we can. And we will." She looked at her watch. "It's almost time for lunch. Darien and I are supposed to go out to eat before we try to tap his memories at the temple. Are you going to be there, Ames?"

The blue-haired woman shook her head. "No, I'm going to stay here and go over this new information. I'll come over as soon as I'm done."

"Is it okay if I stay and help?" Morgan asked shyly.

Amy glanced at Serena, who nodded. "Sure. It's always helpful to have another set of eyes."

"I'll take you to Darien's then meet you at the temple after lunch. Is that okay, Serena?" Lita asked.

"Works for me. Let's go. See you later, Amy!"

They all waved, and Serena and Lita left the blue-haired genius' apartment.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

An hour and a half later, Serena and Darien were greeted at the top of the temple steps by a somewhat anxious Hotaru. "I'm glad you guys are here. Raye has everything set up in the fire room."

"Are you okay, Hotaru?" Serena asked as the three of them made their way to the temple building.

The dark-haired girl smiled. "I'm fine. I'm just a bit nervous. I've never been around for anything like this."

"_You're_ nervous?" Darien said with a playful smirk. "Think about what I must be going through." He winked at the younger girl while he squeezed Serena's hand slightly.

Hotaru giggled as Lita rushed up to them from behind. "Hey, guys! I'm glad I made it in time!" the tall brunette said breathlessly.

"Lunch took a little longer than we expected. Right, Mr. Picky?" Serena shot Darien a look.

"Who, me?" he asked innocently as they reached the door and slid it open.

"Of course you," Serena responded.

"Hi, everybody," Raye greeted the four of them as she stepped out of the fire room. "I have things set up in here for you. Come in."

"Did you do a fire reading?" Serena asked once they all had entered.

Raye nodded. "I didn't see anything though."

The petite blonde smiled. "Thank you for trying."

"I didn't know you had metal folding chairs," Lita said, looking at the set up on the near side of the room. "You usually pull out those long wooden benches when we need seats outside."

"We also use the large picnic table. The benches work better with that." Raye shrugged.

Darien moved over to one of the chairs placed next to a small table with Raye's CD player on top of it and sat down. "Let's get started. The sooner we figure everything out the better."

"Right," the others said in unison.

Serena sat in the chair across from the ebony-haired man and pulled out a book from the bag she had brought along. The other three set up chairs facing the table out of Darien's peripheral vision so he could focus on Serena.

"What are you doing, Serena?" Hotaru asked from her seat closest to Darien.

"Looking over a couple of things. I know how we're putting him under, but there are a few things I want to be sure of," the blonde responded, flipping through a few pages.

"Just remember we're here if you need us," Lita said from the middle seat as she crossed her arms over her chest and her right leg over her left.

Serena shot a quick smile at her and continued to skim through the section of the book she was reviewing. When she was finished, she nodded and put the book away. "Well, the first thing we have to do is establish whether or not this trance is a highly suggestible state. Raye, is the CD in the stereo?"

"Yep. Everything is all ready to go."

"Okay." Serena looked Darien in the eyes. "Are you ready?"

Darien took a deep breath and released it. "Yeah, I think so."

The blonde woman smiled. "Just relax. I won't let anything bad happen to you." He smiled slightly in return. "Okay, here goes nothing." She pressed play.

"Control" started echoing through the room. Hotaru gasped at the sudden change in Darien's countenance: he was now completely relaxed with his eyelids fluttering and half open. "Is this what happened last night?" the teenager asked in awe.

"Pretty much." Serena watched Darien intently. "Darien, can you hear me?" she asked gently.

"Yes."

"How do you feel?" Serena's tone took on a business-like tone.

"I feel good," Darien answered matter-of-factly.

"Okay, Darien, I'm going to ask you to do a couple of things. Is that alright?"

"Yes."

"Would you stand up for me please?" Darien nodded and rose to his feet. Serena followed suit and fought not to smile. "Now put your arms around me and kiss me." The ebony-haired man did as requested.

"What did that prove?" Raye asked somewhat skeptically after the couple broke apart and Serena had Darien wait for her next request.

"Well, it's a start, but other than that, not much. I just wanted a hug and kiss." Serena grinned.

Raye groaned and let her face fall into her hands. Lita and Hotaru snickered.

Serena frowned for a second then hit a button on the CD player. "Repeat," she explained. "Okay, Darien. That was very nice." He smiled slightly as Serena motioned for Hotaru to stand up. The black-haired girl wore a confused expression as she complied. "Now, Darien, I'd like you to hug Hotaru."

Darien turned to the slim girl. He hesitated slightly then complied, Hotaru blushing the entire time. She hugged him back, and, as soon as Darien let go and stepped back, sat down quickly.

"Very good, Darien. Thank you. Now," Serena continued, gesturing for Lita to stand, "I'd like you to dance the waltz with Lita."

Hotaru and Raye quickly moved the three observers' chairs out of the way as Lita took Darien's offered hands and winked at Serena. The ebony-haired man must have found an inner beat, for he started guiding the tall brunette around the small space smoothly.

"Okay, Darien, that's enough," Serena said after a few minutes. "Why don't you come back to your chair?" He nodded and did as he was asked. Lita and the others moved their chairs back into position. "That was wonderful, thank you." The petite blonde took a deep breath and released it as she glanced at Raye before continuing. "Now..." She gulped. "I'd like you to kiss Raye."

The raven-haired priestess' eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she jumped out of her seat and stared at her blonde friend. "Serena!" she choked out. "Are you nuts?"

Serena ignored the question as she stared at Darien, who hadn't moved. His eyes flickered toward Raye then came back to settle on the woman in front of him. "No," he said quietly.

"Why not?" she asked softly, wringing her hands.

"I don't want to hurt you."

Serena gulped again. "You have my permission. Go ahead. It won't hurt me." Her hands squeezed each other harder.

Darien shook his head. "I don't want to. The only woman I want to kiss is you, Serena."

Tears stood in her eyes. "Please?" the blonde whispered.

The ebony-haired man sighed. "Only because you asked." With that, Darien stepped over to Raye and grabbed her shoulders. He leaned in and closed his eyes, the priestess' following suit. Violet orbs popped open in surprise soon after when she felt a light pressure on her forehead.

Lita and Hotaru gasped lightly as Darien stepped back to his original position and Raye fell back into her chair. Serena's face relaxed into one of her thousand-watt grins. "I told you I wouldn't get hurt," she said happily. There was no response. The huge smile fell slowly. "Darien, are you okay?"

"Yes," he replied quietly, not really looking at the blonde.

"But you aren't happy. I'm sorry, Darien. I really am. I had a reason for what I did, I promise." She paused and bit her lower lip briefly. "You do believe me, don't you?"

His eyes closed for a moment then focused, half-lidded, on her. "Yes," he again replied quietly.

Tears welled up again in Serena's sapphire blues. "Can you forgive me?" she asked meekly.

"Of course," he whispered immediately. "Please don't cry."

Serena nodded and wiped the tears away. "Go ahead and sit down, Darien. I'll explain everything. But first I'm going to turn off the music."

The petite blonde pressed stop once Darien had seated himself, and the ebony-haired man slowly came out of his trance. He blinked a few times and focused on Serena's slightly tear-stained face. "Serena? What's wrong? What happened?"

"What were you thinking?" Raye shouted, leaping to her feet again.

"Please," Serena said with a pleading look toward the raven-haired priestess. "Let me explain."

"You had better!" Raye retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Serena," Darien said softly, reaching out and holding one of her hands. "Go ahead and explain. What happened?"

Serena gave him a guilt-tinged look then dropped her gaze to the floor. "I needed to find out if the trance was a highly-suggestible state. So I had you stand. The first thing I asked you to do was give me a hug and kiss." Darien smiled slightly as he barely noticed the corners of her mouth twitching. "Second, I had you hug Hotaru. Then I had you dance the waltz with Lita."

Darien glanced over at the seated ladies as Serena hesitated. Hotaru was blushing while Lita grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. His gaze returned when the blonde began to speak again.

"And the last thing I asked you to do was kiss Raye."

"What?" Darien asked incredulously, letting go of Serena's hand.

"Exactly! What were you thinking?" Raye asked again loudly.

"I had my reasons! I swear!" Serena cried defensively, bringing her head up. "I was testing!"

"What? My patience?" Raye asked sarcastically.

"I always seem to do that," Serena muttered with a scowl.

"My love?" Darien asked quietly, his voice and eyes filled with pain.

Serena's gaze snapped back to him as she gasped. "No! Oh, gods, no!" she cried. "I know you love me!" The blonde fought the urge to throw her arms around her beloved's dejected form. "I will admit, there was a small part of it that came from a touch of insecurity. As much as I know you love me, a little, tiny, itsy-bitsy voice has always wondered if there was anything leftover for Raye."

Raye pursed her lips and drew her hand back to smack the blonde upside the head. But before she had touched one golden hair, Darien had stood and reached out, catching the priestess' wrist.

Violet met midnight blue, and the ebony-haired man shook his head. He lowered his friend's arm and turned his gaze back to the now wide-eyed Serena. "Go ahead. Continue," he said softly, the pain gone from his tone and disappearing from his eyes, and released Raye.

Serena nodded as Raye sat down. "Anyway, I knew that if I would have asked you that while you were awake you would have told me no, and there would have been nothing I could have done to convince you otherwise."

"Damn straight," Darien said forcefully before gently grabbing Serena's shoulders and looking her in the eye. "Look, the only woman I want to kiss is you. You're the only one I want and have ever wanted to be that intimate with. Besides," he continued as he brought his right hand up to cup her left cheek, "I could never hurt you like that."

Serena smiled lovingly. "I know. That's the main reason I asked. I knew you would initially respond the way you did: you said no." Darien returned the smile and brought his hands back to his sides. "The fact is though that someone in a highly suggestible state usually wants to please the person who brought them into it. So I pushed. You told me you didn't want to. I pushed again. And you sighed and said only because I asked."

Darien quickly looked at Raye then back to Serena. "I kissed her?" he asked guiltily, the color draining from his face.

Serena blinked in surprise. "Well, yeah, but..."

The ebony-haired man interrupted her by pulling her to his chest and holding on tight. "Oh, gods. I'm so sorry. To you too, Raye. I'm sorry."

"But..." Serena's voice was muffled from the embrace.

"No, there's no excuse. I'm so sorry."

"Darien, if you'd let the Meatball Head finish you'd find out you only kissed me on the forehead," Raye said irritably.

"What?" he asked, looking at the annoyed woman.

"You heard me. You grabbed my shoulders, leaned in, and kissed me on the forehead." Raye smiled. "Now I suggest you let her go before she suffocates."

"Oh." Darien did as suggested. Hotaru and Lita burst out laughing. Raye smirked.

Serena took a couple of deep breaths and smiled, noting the blush rising on her beloved's cheeks. "I tried to tell you. Anyway," she continued her explanation as the two snickering girls quieted down, "the fact that you gave in proves that this trance is a highly suggestible state. Someone, most likely Davis, hypnotized you and planted a post-hypnotic suggestion that this song would put you back into that hypnotic trance."

"Wait a minute," Raye said. "What do you mean, most likely Davis?"

"Amy cracked the code on the blue disk and found out that the data from his studies is being falsified to say that subliminals definitely work when the real data doesn't prove or disprove that," Lita explained.

"Wow," Hotaru said. "I guess we should be glad we decided not to go to him about this."

"Unfortunately," Darien reluctantly agreed, his quiet tone tinged with sorrow.

"I'm sorry, Darien. I wish the evidence didn't point to him," Serena said sympathetically. He gave her a weak smile.

"Well, we accomplished task number one. What's next, Meatball Head?" Raye asked briskly.

"We let Darien rest for a bit then try to take him back to Thursday evening so we can find out what really happened," Serena responded. She reached out and touched her fiancé's arm. "Is that okay?"

Darien put his hand over hers. "That's fine. Thanks."

"Will taking Darien back through his memories be hard?" Hotaru asked as the couple sat down.

"It shouldn't be," Serena replied. "Professor Davis has been doing it during their hypnosis sessions for the past six weeks."

Raye looked at the blonde incredulously. "How do we know he hasn't been planting ideas during those sessions too?"

"He hasn't," Darien said firmly.

"I've been there," Serena added.

"It's the reason this is so hard to swallow." Darien leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "He's been completely straight forward in his office, even insisting Serena be there because I'm more relaxed that way. I always remember everything that happens and there's no music." He sighed, his midnight blues opening and focusing on the three girls seated to his right. "It's so hard to believe he'd do this to me. I can't believe he'd betray my trust."

"He'll pay his dues for that," Lita assured him. Darien gave her a small smile in return.

"Let's talk about something happier," Serena chimed in. "Getting depressed is not the same as resting."

For the next fifteen minutes the topic turned to the girls' latest shopping spree and Hotaru's experiences in Europe during Michiru's most recent tour. Darien didn't offer much to the discussion, but Serena watched as he visibly relaxed amidst the ordinary conversation. When she figured he was ready she spoke up. "Darien, do you think you're ready to continue?"

The ebony-haired man searched her eyes for a moment and smiled. "I think so. Let's find out the truth."

Lita leaned over to Raye. "You know what would be interesting to find out," she said as Serena double-checked the CD player and pressed play. "What was going through Darien's head while he was under Beryl's command." Raye glanced at the brunette and shrugged.

Serena caught the whispered exchange and looked over as Darien fell back into the music-induced trance. "Oh, yeah," she said somewhat sarcastically. "Like I'm going to say, 'Okay, Darien, let's go back to the last time you were brainwashed by Beryl.' _That_ would be productive." Only Raye saw Darien's eyes close and his head fall to his chest.

"What? You wouldn't want to know?" Lita asked.

"You Meatball Head!" Raye choked out. "Look!" The raven-haired priestess pointed at the man seated across from the startled blonde.

Serena turned just in time to see Darien limply fall to the floor. "Darien!" she cried. Hotaru gasped and jumped to her feet. "No, no, I think he's okay," Serena said shakily as she went to her knees beside her fiancé. "Darien, you need to come back," she pleaded as he rolled onto his back and extended his legs. "Come back to the present. You've gone back too far!"

His only apparent response was to start moaning, tossing, and turning.

"Can't you bring him out of it?" Raye asked accusingly.

"No, I don't think so," Serena replied nervously, ignoring the tone. "Sometimes when someone is taken back to a particularly intense memory, he or she gets lost in it. The only thing you can do is let the person relive it."

"Oh, this could be trouble," Lita said, her emerald green eyes wide.

"What? What do you think is going to happen?" Hotaru asked, looking from one woman to the other.

"Right after the prince and princess were revealed, Darien was kidnapped and brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom. I think that's what Serena accidentally sent him back to. He fought against us," Lita explained.

"Turn off the music!" Raye commanded desperately.

"No! I want him to stay in the trance, not the memory!" Serena refuted. "Once the memory ends I should be able to bring him out of it."

When the blonde turned her attention back to Darien's prone form, she saw him grimacing, and then his face relaxed completely with an exhalation of breath. In a flash he unconsciously transformed into Prince Endymion. "Oh, no," Serena whispered. She quickly grabbed her bag and looked at the others as she dug through it. "Get the chairs out of here and stand back," she ordered, pulling out her Eternal brooch.

"What are you so worried about? He never hurt you. In fact, he saved you!" Raye questioned as she complied.

Serena's sapphire gaze locked with Raye's violet one with a seriousness the priestess had never seen before. "I told him the last time he was brainwashed by Beryl. I don't want you to get hurt while this gets acted out." Raye merely nodded as she joined Lita and Hotaru near the door.

"We're not going to like what we're about to witness," Hotaru said emotionlessly.

"I know we're not," Raye agreed as the three of them watched Serena close her eyes as though in prayer as she communicated with the Silver Crystal. They gasped as the room shifted in appearance to the dark, dank inside of a cave

"Where are we?" Lita asked in awe as their blonde leader transformed into the first manifestation of Sailor Moon.

"Beryl's throne room," Serena whispered as she stepped back into the shadows and watched with the others as Darien stepped into the pitch-blackness across from her. "This is after your sacrifices."

The three witnesses jumped as Serena suddenly appeared near the center of the room in the middle of a red glowing sphere. She seemed to be struggling, pushing against the sides, then fell as it disappeared.

"Welcome, Princess," a voice two of them had heard only once before intoned. "You've succeeded in reaching my citadel. I congratulate you." The darkness that covered the left side of the room partially retreated to reveal a tall, thin woman with long red hair, fangs, and horns growing out of her shoulders. Her purple gown hugged her body and trailed to the floor, showing a lot of cleavage in the process. She looked down at Serena, who was still lying on the floor where she had fallen, with a small, evil smile.

"Queen Beryl," Serena said in fearful wonder.

"Yes, I am Queen Beryl," the woman said haughtily. "And you remember Prince Endymion?"

The darkness retreated completely, revealing Darien kneeling and kissing Beryl's hand. Raye, Lita, and Hotaru gasped. "Endymion? The princess, kill her."

Darien's eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet. "As you command, my queen." He turned to face the shocked blonde. Serena's eyes widened a bit as she took in the coldness in his tone and expression. But she did notice that the blue of his eyes was still pure and untainted by the black that had been there the first time. "Sailor Moon," he said emotionlessly, "die." With that he flipped into the air, drawing his sword as he went, and put the momentum behind a blow that drove the tip of the blade into the stone floor.

Serena barely rolled away in time. "Darien, no!" she cried, tears in her voice. From her position on her knees she produced the Crescent Moon Wand. "Moon Healing Activation!" she shouted desperately, thrusting the wand at the ebony-haired man where he still knelt in the same position he had finished his attack.

"I thought she lost that wand after beating Beryl," Lita muttered to Raye.

"Who knows? Now shush!" Raye whispered back. Hotaru watched silently, frozen in place.

Waves of light and energy washed over Darien, sending his bangs fluttering, and the three onlookers waited for them to take effect.

"You foolish girl!" Beryl crowed. "You won't be able to affect him! Your powers over the crystal are too weak and underdeveloped! He's mine!"

Darien sprung once again into the air, and before Serena could move, hit her with the flat of the blade, sending the Crescent Moon Wand spinning and leaving the blonde sprawled out across the floor.

Raye stuck her arm out, restraining Lita. "No! Serena was right; we have to let him relive this. And these two are the only ones who know exactly what happened. Stay out of it!"

"But he's hurting her!"

"I know. And there's nothing we can do about it. We couldn't then, and we can't now."

Lita looked at the priestess helplessly as Darien formed a black rose. "Sailor Moon," he said again using the same quiet, emotionless tone, "die." He sent the rose tumbling lazily toward the small, prone form with a flick of his wrist.

Three sets of eyes followed the arc of the flower, three breaths caught as it transformed and wrapped around their princess in vines with multiple blooms, and three hearts broke at the screams as the dark construct zapped its captive.

"His eyes," Lita whispered. "His eyes are blank, totally devoid of anything." Her tone was that of wonder.

"It's the only way," Hotaru said knowingly. "The only way for the soul to survive such evil manipulation is to withdraw. Unfortunately, that also makes him harder to reach."

"Darien," Serena said breathlessly as she lay on her back after the rose vines had dissipated, leaving one worn black flower. What light there was glinted off his still-drawn blade. "Darien," she said more urgently as he stepped purposely toward her.

Raye could barely hold back tears as she watched him kick his beloved in the stomach, using energy to increase the pain and send her back a foot. "Darien, no. Wake up," the raven-haired priestess whispered to herself. "You have to remember."

The watching women all let out strangled cries as Darien reached down, picked Serena up by the throat with one hand, and shocked her with a blinding amount of energy. "Oh, Serena," Lita sobbed quietly. "How did you survive this?"

"That's enough, Endymion," Beryl commanded over the sound of Serena's screams. Darien tossed her aside like a rag doll.

Serena was almost within arm's reach of the Crescent Moon Wand. She weakly struggled to get her fingers close enough to wrap around the handle.

"That would be futile," Beryl sneered, watching her enemy's struggle with a triumphant glint in her eyes. "As soon as the darkness envelops the sun, the Great Leader Metallia shall awaken and realize the full power of the Silver Imperium Crystal. All that you have done will have been in vain."

Serena's eyes widened and her outstretched fingers clenched into a fist as Darien took his sword in both hands and brought it above his head for a final mighty blow. In the blink of an eye, her hand went to her tiara, she was on her knees, and the glowing disc had impacted with Darien's exposed mid-section.

"Oh, my god," Lita said, completely shocked. Raye's features matched the brunette's tone. "Serena just attacked Darien."

"Yeah," Raye agreed as Darien fell to the ground, and the tiara lost its glow and joined him with a tinny clatter.

"Your little trick can't stop Endymion," Beryl said proudly. "Metallia's dark energy flows deep in him." Darien's eyes widened momentarily and he began to breathlessly struggle to his feet.

"At least she knocked the wind out of him," Lita muttered as Raye brought clasped hands to her mouth.

"Endymion," Beryl called. "The princess' head, remove it."

Darien put his weight on his sword as he got to his feet, breathing heavily. He glared at Serena as he regained his balance. "Darien, please stop!" the blonde pleaded, remaining on her knees in front of him. His face hardened and he again gripped the hilt in both hands. "Darien!"

"Die!" Darien shouted as he raised the sword above his head.

"Stop!" Serena screamed, thrusting her hands out in front of her.

The girls gasped and the tenseness in Darien's body lessened as they all caught sight of the star locket in the blonde's hands and heard the soft music from the open cover. "Please, Darien, remember. It's me. Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom." Her soft words thundered in the silence.

"And the enemy of the Dark Kingdom," Darien growled, tensing to give a blow again. "Die!"

"No, I'm not your enemy." Again Darien paused. "You've been filled with dark energy by Beryl and Metallia and forced to do their bidding. Come back to me, Darien. I love you." Serena's wide, sapphire blue gaze was filled with hope and love.

Darien started to shake, then tensed. "You must die!"

"I won't fight you any more. Please, Darien, remember! Touch the locket and remember!" Tears filled her eyes, as well as the other girls'.

Hotaru, Raye, and Lita found themselves holding their breaths as Darien's muscles relaxed and both arms slowly lowered to his sides. His eyes were fixated on the glittering golden locket in Serena's outstretched hands. The three girls unconsciously leaned forward as Darien reached out his left hand, the right still loosely gripping the sword, and lightly touched the offered trinket.

"What is this?" Beryl cried, flinching away along with everyone else from the blinding silver light that overtook Darien's form. He screamed in pain as his body arched.

When the light cleared, Serena looked up expectantly and the other girls watched with baited breath. The sword clattered to the ground, followed by a fully blooming red rose, and soon after that by Darien himself as he fell to his knees.

Hotaru gasped. "The rose!" she whispered excitedly.

"It's red! Yes!" Lita exclaimed quietly, matching the younger girl's enthusiasm.

"Quiet, and keep watching!" Raye hissed, her command barely reaching their ears, and her eyes riveted on the scene playing out before them.

Darien looked up into Serena's battered face with a soft expression. "Serena." The blonde started to smile and tears welled up in her eyes. "Thank you." His voice was barely a whisper as he tried to catch his breath.

"Oh, Darien," she breathed as she gently gripped his shoulders. "Darien!" Serena pulled him to her chest and let the happy tears flow. He leaned against her gratefully.

"The audacity of you, Princess!" Beryl growled. "How dare you try to take Endymion away from me again?" The three observers gasped as the sorceress queen created a large black crystal between her raised hands and threw it at the newly reunited couple. "Die, Princess!"

Darien and Serena looked to see what the evil queen had done. The ebony-haired man went into immediate action. He threw a rose that shattered the crystal and embedded itself in Beryl's chest then forced Serena to the ground and covered her with his body. Unfortunately the rose could not stop the momentum of the projectile and a few shards struck him in the back. The girls flinched.

"Darien!" Serena cried in anguish.

The girls found themselves torn between watching their friends and watching Beryl as her body began to break apart.

"Endymion," the evil queen choked out. "Why did you save that girl? If you had married me you could have been King of the Universe!" Cracks began to spider out from the red rose's impact point. "What is happening to me?" Dulling orange eyes looked down at her wound and widened. "Energy? Endymion's feelings for that girl are trying to break me apart! No! I cannot fail! I will not fail!" The wicked woman fell to her hands and knees and faded through the floor.

"Where did she go?" Hotaru asked with awe in her voice.

"I don't know," Raye answered. "Maybe to where Metallia slept."

"Look," Lita breathed, pointing to where Serena had turned Darien over and cradled his head against her left shoulder.

"Darien, hang on," the blonde pleaded.

"Serena, you have to get out of here," Darien whispered, gazing as best he could into the face leaning over his own. He coughed weakly.

"Darien, no!" Serena cried, nearly in tears.

Lita held Hotaru back. "She won't let him die again."

His midnight blues searched her sapphire ones. "I'll find my way back to you," he promised softly.

Serena swallowed her tears and gave him a small, brave smile. "Hey, you can call me Meatball Head."

Darien gave a soft chuckle then closed his eyes as his head fell limply against Serena's chest.

"Darien?" Serena asked fearfully. Her eyes grew wide with realization. "Darien!" she screamed, bursting into soul-wrenching sobs.

Tears streaming down her own cheeks, Raye stopped the other two from rushing over to the mourning blonde. "Let her finish crying," she said somewhat brokenly. "She knows he's not really dead, but I think she was caught up in the memory as well. We weren't there then, we can't be there now."

"It hurts to see her like this. Why doesn't Darien wake up?" Lita looked at Raye with stricken eyes.

"Serena's going to have to bring him out of it. And that means we give her time to compose herself."

"But I can't hear the music," Hotaru said, her eyes glued to Darien with a growing realization.

"You don't think you can," Serena replied softly as she straightened out Darien's limp form, having just recovered from her tears. "That's part of the illusion I created. Trust me, it's there." She gestured slightly to Hotaru, who hurried over.

"What do you need, Serena? Are you okay?" the black-haired girl asked anxiously.

"I'll be fine. If you could heal us both, though, it'll make things easier." The petite blonde turned a soft gaze to her unconscious beloved.

Hotaru nodded and did as requested. Soon after she had stepped back, Darien's form shifted back to the blue T-shirt and khaki slacks he had been wearing earlier. Serena breathed a sigh of relief and released her own transformation, causing the familiar fire room of the temple to replace the dark cavern of Beryl's throne room.

The meatball-adorned blonde leaned over Darien's tranquil face. "This time I'll take what I denied myself last time. But first, I want you to remember what happened during this trance," Serena said softly into Darien's ear. "And please, please find it in your heart to forgive yourself. If not now, someday." A few tears found their way down her cheeks before she kissed him thoroughly on the lips. Then she stood and stopped the CD.

Darien slowly woke from the deep trance and opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling of the fire room. He turned his head to the left, moaning lightly, then shakily began to sit up. His gaze met Serena's as she knelt beside him. "Serena," he whispered, his tone wavering. She took him into her arms. "Serena," he said again, his voice breaking as his arms wrapped around her tightly. He buried his face into her shoulder and completely broke down into tears, his whole form shaking.

The other girls were surprised to see a large, relieved smile light up Serena's face as she held her fiancé fiercely. Lita gave the blonde a quizzical look as she wiped away tears that weren't quite ready to stop. Raye sniffed, and Hotaru stood close by, a soft smile of relief on her face.

A short while later Darien's sobs quieted and his body relaxed. Serena looked down at the top of his head and brought up her left hand to lightly brush his ebony bangs out of his face. "Darien?" she asked softly. There was no response. The petite blonde looked closer and saw that his eyes were shut. She smiled softly and looked up at Raye. "Could you get me a pillow? He fell asleep." The priestess nodded and left the room.

"I don't blame him," Lita said, finally wiping away the last of her tears. "He's just been through hell."

"Thank you for not blaming him. He does enough of that himself," Serena said, absently running her hand through Darien's hair.

"Hey, it's not _his_ fault Beryl was an obsessed psycho with enough power to do something about it. I never did blame him." Lita shrugged. Hotaru looked at her speculatively, but remained silent.

Just then Raye returned with the requested pillow. Hotaru hurried over and took it from her before the older girl could close the door behind herself. "Where do you need it, Serena?" the teenager asked when she had stepped back over to the couple.

"We'll just lay him out here. Adjust it as I lower him," Serena instructed as she began to lay him down. It was a bit of a struggle, as he didn't seem to want to let go, but finally the task was accomplished.

"What in the world just happened, Serena?" Raye asked as the blonde took Darien's hand into her own to quiet his soft whimpers.

"When Darien transformed into Endymion, I could feel him starting to draw on the Golden Crystal. I realized he was going to try to recreate the last time he was brainwashed by Beryl, so I used the Silver Crystal to create the illusions you saw. If he had used his crystal to do that as well as recreate the dark energy he used he'd be in horrible shape. He doesn't have the control I have over the Silver Crystal," Serena explained.

"So that was the Golden Crystal and not some leftover dark energy?" Lita asked. The blonde nodded. "How do you know?"

"Mainly his eyes." Serena's voice trailed off as she looked away briefly. She shook her head slightly and met Lita's gaze. "They were his normal midnight blue. Originally, they were almost completely black." She looked around and her eyes widened. The blonde stretched out, reached under the table behind her, and pulled out a battered black rose.

"Where did that come from?" Raye asked in wonder.

"Darien's roses were real." Serena's brows creased in thought. "I think this is the rose he tossed at me."

"How did he make a black rose? I thought he did that because of the negative energy," Raye commented.

"Maybe we should be a little more careful," Lita said warily.

Serena looked closely at the blossom. "That won't be necessary," she said with a smile.

"How do you figure?" Lita retorted.

The blonde's response was to shake the rose. The black petals fell off, revealing a tight red core. "Does that answer your question?" The other three girls smiled.

"I think I have a guess as to the black roses, now that I've seen that," Raye said, pulling her chair back over to its original position. "He may have been drawing on his own negative emotions. And because they aren't that strong, the core remained pure."

"Makes sense," Lita agreed, doing the same with her own chair.

"And speaking of negative emotions, I should probably thank you, Serena," Raye said softly.

"What for?" Serena asked, confused.

"You know that little voice you were talking about earlier? The one that wondered if Darien still felt a little something for me?" The blonde nodded. "Well, I had one too. I love Chad completely, but I always wondered if I would want to take the kind of opportunity you presented me with. I found out I wouldn't; I really didn't want to." Raye smiled ruefully. "I guess you did us both a favor."

Serena grinned. "Glad to be of service."

Raye raised an eyebrow. "Don't push it." The blonde giggled.

"What do we do now?" Hotaru asked softly.

"We let him sleep. He's emotionally drained, but I think this nap has more to do with using too much energy."

"Serena, we could be here a long time. I know how you are after using the crystal," Lita said skeptically.

Serena winked. "True. But we're on Earth, and this is Earth's prince. Haven't you ever wondered why he seems to recover more quickly than the rest of us?"

Lita blinked. "So if we were on Jupiter, _I_ would recover the fastest?"

"So Amy's theory goes."

"Since Lita brought it up, why aren't you in the same state as Darien?" Raye asked. "You used your crystal relatively intensely."

"The illusion didn't use that mush energy, believe it or not. It was more a projection of my memories. And the fact remains that I have a lot better control of the Silver Crystal than I used to." Serena frowned. "Didn't I say that earlier?"

"Why didn't you tell us about what happened in Beryl's throne room?" Lita asked.

Serena smiled softly and turned to look at Darien's sleeping face. "I didn't think it was necessary. You guys know how everything turned out."

"How did you survive?" Lita's green eyes searched her friend's profile.

"She believed in him," Hotaru answered, looking straight into Serena's face. "No matter what he was being forced to do to her, she believed in him, in his true soul." Sapphire blues locked with dark violet ones. "She believed." The younger girl's voice started to crack. "She believed… like she believed in me. People see that faith as a flaw, as a weakness, but it is her greatest strength. May I never fail that faith, Princess."

Serena reached out and wiped Hotaru's tears away with her free hand. "You won't. I know you won't." She leaned forward and pulled the girl into a hug above Darien's chest. "And now you understand you're not alone," she whispered into the sobbing girl's ear. Hotaru nodded into the blonde's shoulder.

The teenager went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face and pull herself together after she stopped crying. When she returned to the fire room, she found Darien was awake and holding Serena in his lap, his head resting against hers as he stared off into space. The blonde looked a little worried as she lay against his shoulder.

Hotaru met Serena's gaze and winked. She didn't give her princess time to question her, hurrying over to the pair and wrapping her arms around Darien's neck. He tensed and drew in a sharp breath. "I'm not alone, Darien; you understand. You completely understand," she whispered into his ear. "And if I'm not alone, that means you aren't either. _I_ understand."

Darien's head turned as Hotaru pulled back and smiled at him. He searched her violet depths as her words sank in, and felt his burden lift, however slightly. "Thank you," he whispered, unconsciously holding Serena tighter. The blonde smiled gratefully.

Hotaru shrugged. "Any time. So what do we do now?"

Serena sighed. "It's up to Darien."

"I want to know the truth," he said softly, looking down into his fiancé's face. "I _need_ to know the truth. It's just…"

"You can't trust me after what just happened," Serena said as Darien hesitated. Sadness crept into her eyes.

"No, that's not it at all," Darien said reassuringly as he drew back slightly and took her face in his hands. "If anything I trust you even more. You handled that situation wonderfully, never losing your cool. I couldn't have been in better hands."

"Darien, you can't keep putting off your feelings to try to make me feel better. You have to deal with this," Serena chided gently.

"And I will. After this situation with Jackson is dealt with, we'll talk. I promise."

The petite blonde smiled. "Good. So what were you going to say when I interrupted?"

Darien put his arms back around Serena's waist. "I think I need some time to gather my wits. I know how important this is, but…"

"Shhh," Serena said, putting a finger to his lips. "We'll wait. You need to be comfortable and relaxed for it to work anyway."

"You guys really do make a beautiful couple," Hotaru said from Darien's right. They both jumped.

"Welcome back to the real world," Raye said with a smirk. "Now that you've joined us…" The smile started to fade. "Are you okay, Darien?" she asked seriously.

"Yes. Or at least I will be," Darien responded.

"Why were you tossing and turning?" Lita asked.

"Serena had healed me. So Beryl was pouring dark energy into me again to suppress all the memories the Silver Crystal had released," he answered, his eyes closed. "The real problem came when Metallia noticed that my energy resonated at the same frequency as hers. She decided that I would be a worthy vessel." Darien squeezed Serena as he grimaced at the memory. "That's why the healing Serena did in the throne room didn't work. She wasn't just dealing with Beryl's brainwashing; Metallia had possessed me."

"Darien, I… I'm sorry," Lita said, subdued. "If I hadn't opened my big mouth, this wouldn't have happened. And I want you to know I never blamed you for what you did while you were under Beryl's command. Like I told Serena, it's not your fault Beryl used her power to fulfill her obsession."

"Same goes for me," Raye added. "If it makes you feel any better, I know Amy and Mina think the same way."

"Thank you," Darien whispered, his face in Serena's hair where he had buried it when Lita apologized. "It means a lot to me."

After another thirty minutes of quiet conversation, deftly maneuvered away from the past, Darien announced he was ready to try again. "Are you sure?" Serena asked as she retrieved her chair from the side of the room.

"Definitely," Darien answered as he set up the chair Hotaru had handed him. "I'm starting to get impatient."

"That's a good sign," Lita said with a smile. Darien winked at her.

"Okay let's do it." Serena waited for everyone to settle into her original position before pressing play. "Darien, can you hear me?" the blonde asked after he had fallen into a trance.

"Yes."

"This time we're going to do this right. How do you feel?" Serena's business-like tone was back.

"I feel good," he responded softly.

"Do you remember this song making you feel good before?" Serena asked, her voice calm but her eyes watching him intently. The other three girls leaned forward in anticipation of Darien's response.

"Yes."

Serena's mouth twitched upward slightly. "Is there anything different about this time?" Excitement ate away at her professional tone.

"The voice… it wasn't you. And you're asking me questions. The voice normally just tells me things."

"Isn't the message supposed to be subliminal for these sessions? As in not able to be heard?" Raye whispered to Lita.

"Hey, that's right. We'll have to ask once Serena brings him out of it," Lita responded.

"If the voice wasn't me, who was it?" the petite blonde continued.

Darien's brows furrowed as his eyes closed, and he slowly shook his head. He appeared to be going through some sort of inner struggle.

Serena bit her lower lip and decided not to press the issue any further. "That's okay, Darien. We'll talk about that later." The ebony-haired man visibly relaxed and his eyes returned to their half-lidded state. "So what kind of things did the voice tell you?"

"It said to obey. It said it was my friend. It said I could trust it."

The blonde gulped as the other three ladies drew in sharp breaths. "Do… do you do what it tells you to do?" Serena asked nervously.

"I try. But sometimes…"

"Yes?" Serena prompted when Darien didn't finish his statement. His eyes closed and he didn't answer. The blonde woman shot a worried look at her friends, who all gave her encouraging smiles in return.

"Keep going, Meatball Head," Raye said gently. "I think you're on the right track."

Serena bit her lower lip as she thought for a moment. "Do you… remember your last subliminal session with Jackson, Darien?" she asked, trying a different tactic.

"Yes," he replied calmly, again lifting his eyelids halfway.

"Why don't you tell me about it?"

Darien nodded. "I got to the lab at about four-twenty and Jackson wasn't there yet. It was unusual, but not unheard of, so I just took out my psychology book and started reading the assignment my class had been given earlier. Just before four-thirty, Jackson strolled in. he pulled the novel he'd been reading lately out of the left hand drawer of the desk and sat down in the chair by the remote console. He smirked at me and told me I sure knew how to pick the feisty ones. I closed my book and put it away, then asked what he was talking about. He told me the little blonde thing I was always going on about sure had a mouth on her and hadn't I taught her not to make embarrassing scenes in public yet?" Serena blushed while Darien clenched his fists. "I told him knowing you, you were defending yourself and he probably deserved to be embarrassed. He said you were actually harping on him for bugging me in class in front of everybody. Then he paused and said you were right. He apologized for what had happened in class that day and asked if I would apologize to you for what he said in the Union. I sighed and forgave him and we both sat down to start the session. As Jackson started to check the dials he said that this might be our last session for a while."

Serena blinked along with the others. "Did he say why?"

"Not exactly. He said he needed to talk to Professor Davis."

"What about? Do you know?" Serena asked, a suspicion growing.

"No. Just then the music started playing, so Jackson didn't say anything else. I think it was one of Michiru's pieces. There was a violin and piano."

"That kind of sounds like the tape Amy and Serena said that Cross played for them at Positive Thinking," Lita leaned over and whispered into Raye's ear. The priestess nodded.

"And then what happened?" Serena prompted.

"The song came on – 'Control.' Jackson is in the room with me, but he doesn't hear the music. He's sitting at the control panel with his back turned to me. He doesn't need to pay a lot of attention while the headphones are on so he's just reading his book." A note of anxiety came into Darien's voice as he shifted into present tense.

At that, Hotaru sprung to her feet and started to move toward the agitated man. Serena waved her off. "But he's upset!" the black-haired girl protested.

The blonde turned a stricken gaze to her. "I know. But we have to let him live through this."

"He's already lived through one bad memory today!" Hotaru refuted.

Serena grimaced and squinted her eyes shut to hold off the tears. "It doesn't matter," she said a bit brokenly. "This is the only way to find out the truth."

"The… the voice… the voice is talking to me," Darien started to ramble. "It tells me to open the right hand drawer of the desk…" The three witnesses exchanged wide-eyed looks. "A gun, Damien's gun, is in my hand!" Darien went on, getting more and more agitated. "I… I don't remember taking it from Damien's apartment, but the voice said I would need it."

The ebony-haired man jumped wild-eyed to his feet, looking around jerkily as though he were no longer in the Cherry Hill Temple's fire room on Sunday afternoon, but once again in the psychology building's subliminal suggestion lab on Thursday evening. Raye, Lita, and Serena all leapt to their feet as well, Serena forcing her chair back as she stepped away from her upset fiancé.

"No! I don't want to shoot him!" Darien cried as though he were responding to the mysterious voice. "Jackson turns around and sees the gun in my hand. His eyes grow wide and he backs up against the console with his hands up, palms out. 'What are you doing, Darien? Don't shoot, please!' he begs. But the voice is still ordering me! I don't want to shoot him! I don't! Don't make me! I can't! No!"

"Serena, bring him out of it!" Raye shouted. "He's going to hurt himself – or you!"

Just then, Darien flailed his arms, and his body convulsed like he had been shot. The jerky movement threw him off balance and he flew backward, cracking the back of his skull against the edge of the metal folding chair behind him.

"Darien!" Serena cried, hurriedly stopping the CD player and dropping to the floor beside her beloved's now-prone form. Hotaru rushed over as well.

The petite blonde hesitantly touched the area she thought he had injured. He flinched, although she had been more than gentle, and her hand came back slightly stained with blood. Serena's eyes widened. "Heal him, Hotaru! Please!" she begged.

"Of course," Hotaru murmured, her right hand brushing the ebony-haired man's temple. He was briefly outlined with a dark purple light, and when it faded, his expression was peaceful.

His eyelids began to flutter soon after, and he woke up slowly. "Are you okay?" Serena asked once Darien's midnight blues were fully revealed.

He groaned a bit and sat up stiffly, bringing his right hand back to rub the back of his head. "I'm okay. What happened? Why am I on the floor?"

"You just re-experienced the murder," Raye said as she and Lita made their way over.

Darien paled. "Did I… kill Jackson?"

"We don't know yet," Lita said with a reassuring smile as she helped him back into his chair. "You were seeing something that had you freaked out, and then you collapsed."

A determined expression made its way onto the tall man's features. "I want to try again."

"We can wait, Darien," Hotaru said softly, seeing he was still shaken up. "This is obviously hard on you, and it's the second time today you've been dragged through a very unpleasant memory."

"I don't care about that!" Darien snapped, running his hands through his hair. "The only thing that's important is finding out the truth! I have to know the truth!"

"I know, Darien. I know," Serena said gently, kneeling beside his chair and wrapping her arms around his chest. "We'll try again. Just rest and relax for a few minutes first, okay? Everything will work better that way."

Darien nodded and sighed as he returned the petite blonde's embrace. "I'm sorry, everybody. I'm just frustrated."

Hotaru smiled. "I understand. I'd probably be the same way."

Just then the door opened slightly and a familiar face poked in. "Hi, guys! We're not interrupting, are we?"

"Actually, Mina, we were just taking a bit of a break. Come in," Serena told her fellow blonde.

Mina slid the door completely open and bounced in. "Come on in, Ames! Serena said it was okay!" she called back over her shoulder.

The blue-haired genius walked in slowly, shaking her head. "I can't believe you just did that."

The taller blonde suddenly turned serious. "I listened for the song, Amy. I wouldn't have done anything if I'd heard it."

"I'm… I'm sorry," Amy stuttered, wide-eyed, as the other occupants of the room looked on, shocked.

"Don't worry about it!" Mina chirped, back to her usual bouncy self. "So, what did we miss?"

"If you wait a minute, you can tell us all at once," a new voice from the doorway said quietly. "Haruka's parking the car."

Everyone looked to see the tall, graceful, aqua-haired woman standing in the doorway. She was soon joined by her blonde, tomboyish partner. "Michiru, Haruka, how did your search go?" Serena asked, still holding Darien.

Haruka snorted. "What a waste of time! Would you believe we didn't even learn as much as you did?"

"Wow," Lita muttered.

"We should congratulate you, Princess," Michiru said with a smile. "It's been a while since someone has stumped Haruka."

"Don't start," the tall blonde responded as she led them into the room, Michiru closing the door behind them.

"We were just taking a break," Hotaru explained as Serena giggled.

"What have you found out so far?" Amy asked as Darien gently disengaged from Serena and moved to do some stretching exercises.

"Beryl's throne room was a dark nasty place," Lita responded. Raye rolled her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Haruka asked.

"We'll explain later," Raye said.

"No, no, I want to know," Mina begged. "We have time. Darien's not ready yet." Raye sighed.

"I accidentally took Darien back to the last time he was brainwashed by Beryl," Serena said softly, having returned to her own chair. "We ended up recreating that final battle."

"What, the one where you got rid of the witch once and for all?" Haruka asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No," the petite blonde responded, her gaze falling to the ground. "The one between Endymion and me."

"You fought the prince?" Michiru asked, surprised.

"I had been recaptured by Beryl and possessed by Metallia. I was ordered to kill her." Darien never paused in his stretches and had his back to everyone but Serena. "But she saved me. She made me remember, and I died protecting her. Then she defeated Beryl." His tone was matter-of-fact, but Serena could see the slight pain on his face.

Haruka whistled. "Boy, we're going to have to hear _that_ in full one of these days."

"Definitely," Mina whispered.

"Like I said, we'll tell you later," Raye said firmly. "Now, are you ready yet, Darien?"

"Give me another minute," the ebony-haired man said shortly, finishing his exercises and pulling his knees to his chest as he sat on the floor.

Lita leaned over to the longhaired blonde at her side and resisted the urge to smack her. "Now do you understand _why_ Raye said she'd explain later?" the brunette whispered.

Mina's expression was stricken. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

"He'll be okay," Hotaru said softly, a small smile on her lips as she watched Serena put her arms around the seated man and whisper in his ear. "The princess is with him, and will always be with him."

A few quiet moments later, Darien and Serena stood and reseated themselves after moving the chairs back into place. The petite blonde looked over at her friends. "I think we're ready to try this one more time."

"I can get more chairs," Raye offered as Lita and Hotaru took their original seats.

Haruka looked at Michiru. "We're fine," the tall blonde said with a shrug. Amy and Mina nodded their agreement as well. Raye smiled and sat down.

Once everyone was settled, Serena gave Darien an encouraging smile and pressed play.

Mina, Michiru, and Haruka's eyes widened when they saw Darien almost immediately slip into a trance. "Darien, can you hear me?" Serena asked after a quick look at the group of ladies to her left.

"Yes."

"Okay, why don't you tell me again what happened on Thursday night at the lab, starting from when the music started?"

Darien nodded. "The first piece was one of Michiru's, a piano and violin duet." The aqua-haired woman scowled. "And then 'Control' started." Darien's brows furrowed. "Jackson's reading his book; his back is to me. The voice… the voice tells me to open the right hand drawer of the desk. The gun… I'm holding Damien's gun!"

"Darien, it's okay!" Serena interrupted as Darien's breathing became quick and shallow and the panic in his voice rose to a fever pitch. "It's okay; you're with me, Darien, Serena. You're just remembering. Now take a deep breath and relax." The agitated man did as he was told and soon had returned to the calm state he had been in when the song first started.

"Very good, Darien," Serena said, relieved. "Now keep in mind that I'm here with you, and tell me what happened when the voice started talking to you."

"That was impressive," Mina whispered in Amy's ear.

The blue-haired woman smiled. "I knew she could do it."

The long-haired blonde grinned as well. "So did I. Doesn't make it any less impressive though."

"I opened the drawer of the desk and pulled out Damien's gun. The voice told me to shoot Jackson. I hesitated after aiming it at him, and he turned around. He begged me not to shoot. I… I didn't want to shoot him." Darien started struggling with the words, a grimace staining his expression and his eyes closing. "He… he came out of the room and walked over to me."

"Who, Darien? Who came out of the room?" Serena asked anxiously.

"He told me to fire. He told me to… to shoot Jackson," he continued as though nothing had been said. "They started arguing. They were yelling…" Darien was obviously working hard at staying calm. "The gun went off, and Jackson fell! He fell! He was shot!" He fought to keep his breathing under control.

"Darien, did you pull the trigger? Did you shoot Jackson?" Serena asked almost desperately.

"I…" Darien started before grimacing in pain and curling forward, his hands flying to the back of his head. "The gun was on the ground next to Jackson," his muffled voice continued. "He told me to leave and forget everything that had happened in the lab."

Serena watched with a stricken expression as Darien started rocking forward and back in the chair, gripping the back of his head. Finally she sighed and closed her eyes. "Darien, I want you to remember everything you can from Thursday night when I turn off the music and you come out of your trance. And when you wake up you're going to feel calm and relaxed." Darien nodded as he stopped rocking.

The music stopped, and Darien slowly sat up, his muscles becoming loose and his breathing normal. His midnight blue eyes fluttered open and focused on the sapphire blues watching him closely. "Hi," he said softly with a small smile.

Serena returned it. "Hi to you too. How do you feel?"

"I feel fine." He turned and looked at the seven other women who were staring at him intently. "Um, is something wrong?"

"So do you remember if you pulled the trigger?" Mina asked excitedly.

Darien's brow creased in thought for a moment. "I… I don't," he replied, wincing and rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "It hurts when I try."

Amy stepped forward, pulling her computer from her extra-dimensional pocket. "Let me do a scan."

Serena moved over to Hotaru after Darien nodded. "Is there a chance you missed something?" the blonde whispered worriedly.

The dark-haired teenager shook her head. "I didn't sense anything other than the cut. I don't think I missed anything."

Serena straightened and turned around to face Darien just before Amy spoke. "That's odd," the blue-haired woman said, bewildered. "The Mercury computer isn't able to do a scan. I'm going to have to run a diagnostic program before I try again."

"That's okay, Ames. Take whatever time you need. I was going to call it quits for today anyway," Serena said as she looked at her fiancé speculatively.

"But, Serena…" Darien protested.

The petite blonde held up her hand to cut him off. "No, Darien. Dragging you through bad memories three times in one afternoon is enough. Besides, I have a feeling we won't get any further today anyway. You need some rest." She smiled softly, and Darien sighed and gave in.

"I think we have enough information to come up with quite the feasible hypothesis," Amy said thoughtfully, tapping her chin with one finger.

"What was that?" Lita asked, confused.

"With what we know, we should be able to come up with a pretty good guess as to what happened," Michiru explained with an amused smile. Lita blushed. "Go ahead, Amy."

"Thank you. Now, we know that the data from the studies has been tampered with to make it look like subliminals are more successful than they actually are." Haruka, Michiru, and Mina looked shocked, but stayed silent. "Someone obviously hypnotized Darien and thought he knew him well enough to expect him to pull the trigger when ordered. He also had access to the control room in the lab itself. Who fits these requirements?"

"Don't forget the government contracts," Serena added. "Someone stands to make a lot of money."

"It sounds like the only one to fit the bill is Davis," Raye said. "I mean, after seven weeks of dealing with Darien on an almost daily basis – six of those weeks meeting for hypnotherapy sessions – he should be confident enough in his knowledge of his student."

"And as much as Davis told us he turned down the U.S. government's money, Damien told us the general who offered the money in the first place contacted the professor at least twice afterward. There could have been secret arrangements made," Mina offered enthusiastically.

"And that would be on top of any contract Jeffrey Cross would get. I bet there's a deal between those two too," Lita said.

"I think we have our man," Michiru said quietly.

"Yeah, we do," Haruka snarled, pounding her fist into her open palm.

"Now wait a minute," Amy said quickly before a lynch mob could be formed. "As possible – and likely – as it is that Davis is our culprit, there's no way we're going to be able to convince the police of that. They've already determined that Darien is the killer. We have to persuade Lieutenant Alexander to take another look at the facts."

"And considering how the jerk talked to Serena earlier, I don't think anything less than a confession is going to do it," Lita grumbled with a scowl.

"A confession!" Serena exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "That's it!"

"What are you thinking?" Darien asked warily.

Serena giggled. "I have an idea." Just then the petite blonde's stomach growled. "Why don't we discuss it over dinner?" she offered, blushing.

There were smiling murmurs of assent, and the nine of them made their way to the Crown Fruit Parlor.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

"I want to come with you," Darien said sternly to Serena in his apartment around nine o'clock that night.

"No, Darien, you can't," Serena retorted just as sternly.

"But I want to be there to protect you. You're taking a huge risk meeting Davis in that lab at midnight."

"That's what the girls are for. Do you really think they'll let anything happen to me?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not the same." Darien's tirade was cut short by the phone ringing. He sighed. "I'll be right back."

"I can't believe this," Serena muttered to herself as Darien answered the phone. She started to pace. "I'm just thinking of him. If he's there, Alexander might think that…" The blonde woman stopped, sighed, and rubbed her face with her hands. "I need to tell _him_, not me. I already know." She brought her head up just as Darien hung up. "Who was that?"

He shrugged. "Some telemarketer."

Serena raised an eyebrow. "On a Sunday?"

"That's why I sent him packing." His look turned serious. "Now where were we?"

"Look, Darien, you can't be in the lab with me because Lieutenant Alexander might think that you're tampering with things to make yourself look innocent. I don't want to jeopardize anything." Serena's shoulders sagged as her gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm just thinking of you."

Darien stared at her for a few moments before taking her into a fierce embrace. "And I'm thinking of you. You could be hurt, and if I wasn't there to prevent it…" He buried his face in her hair, a part of him reveling in the way Serena held on to him just as desperately.

"I… I'll make a deal with you," she said softly, her voice slightly muffled. "A little after midnight, sit on the bench just outside the psychology building. That way you aren't in a position to be accused of tampering, but you'll be close enough to come help if you feel me in danger."

The ebony-haired man sighed. "Deal. That's where I'll be."

The couple held each other in silence for a while before pulling back far enough to look each other in the eyes. "I love you," Serena whispered, her heart in her eyes.

"I love you too." Midnight searched sapphire. "How did you get Davis to meet you?"

"I told him I had some very important information about Jackson's death and it concerned him. He agreed pretty quickly, actually," Serena explained.

Darien raised his hand to caress his beloved's cheek. "Please, you have to promise me you'll be careful. Please."

"I promise. Oh, gods, I promise."

They came together in a passionate kiss, immediately losing themselves in each other. Knowing the danger that was coming in less than three hours, they forgot the world around them and focused only on this desperate expression of their love.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Eleven o'clock found Serena meeting the other seven women on campus outside the psychology building. "Are you guys ready?" the petite blonde leader asked.

"Sure," Mina replied, "but why are we doing this so early again? Davis isn't supposed to be here until midnight."

"If I had killed someone and got a phone call pretty much telling me I was caught, I wouldn't just wait until the arranged time to meet them. I'd show up early and make sure I was ready for them," Haruka explained.

"So we're here to set up first," Lita finished.

"You should find recording equipment in a small room behind the mirrored wall," Serena described. "Just make sure the microphone on the remote panel in the lab itself is on. I'll do the rest."

"Are you completely sure about this?" Raye asked worriedly.

"You bet. And with you guys for back up, I'll be fine. Now get in there and get ready. I'm going to meet the guys at Crown and make sure they're set," Serena ordered. "I'll be back by midnight."

"Good luck, Serena," Hotaru said softly, placing a light hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"We'll be ready," Amy assured her friend as the group moved toward a side entrance. Serena grinned, waved, and jogged off toward the men's meeting place.

"Will this be difficult?" Michiru asked Mina, who had knelt in front of the lock and pulled out a few metal instruments.

"No way," the blonde said confidently. "Take me no time flat." Mina was true to her word when an audible click was heard less than a minute later.

"Let's move," Haruka ordered, ushering everyone inside. Once they were all in, the scout of the sky made sure the door was locked behind them and took up the rear of the quiet procession.

Amy led the way to the labs, pointing out the door to room fifty-two. Mina quickly worked her magic on the lock, and the group slipped inside. Again Haruka made sure the door was the way they had found it.

Raye flipped the light switch, and they all looked around, pointedly ignoring the large reddish brown stain in the carpet. "Someone check the console's microphone. I want to get inside the control room," Amy ordered.

"I'm on it," Lita said while Mina moved to the mirrored wall and quickly made her way to the door.

"It's open," the long-haired blonde announced before stepping inside the space beyond. Amy followed.

Within ten minutes everything was ready for Professor Davis' confession. Haruka was the last of the women to enter the control room, discreetly hiding the remote panel's lit LED light with one of Jackson's notebooks that had been left as part of the crime scene, and turning off the track lights. Then they all sat back and waited for the fun to begin.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Serena made it back to campus shortly before twelve after seeing the men off on their hunt for Captain McMahon a while earlier. She headed for the back door, that being the entrance Davis had arranged to leave open for her. She took a deep breath before going inside.

The stairs to the basement were eerily shadowed, some of the low lighting used at night being out. Serena's eyes darted around nervously as she paused at the bottom of the steps to get her bearings. Her ears strained for any sound, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when her arm lightly brushed the handrail behind her.

'Okay, Serena,' she thought as she struggled to control her breathing. 'You can't lose it now; Darien needs you. Now find that lab and let's get this over with.'

Feeling a little more confident, Serena moved at a normal pace along the hall, slowing only to double-check room numbers. Finally she came to number fifty-two. She took one more deep breath and slowly pushed the door open.

Glancing inside as the door swung inward, she saw Professor Simon Davis pressed into the near right hand corner of the room. Their gazes locked briefly, Serena's confused and Davis' wild with panic, before the older man turned his attention back to the center of the room. The blonde's brows furrowed and she stepped inside the lab.

As she turned her attention to the center of the room, Serena found that there was no longer enough air to breath. Her sapphire blues widened as far as they could go and her jaw dropped as she froze in her tracks.

There, next to the desk across from the recliner, stood Darien, and he was holding a gun aimed directly for Serena's heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Power of Suggestion - Chapter 6

by Una Moonstar

ANs: And here it is - the exciting conclusion to Power of Suggestion! I'm glad you've enjoyed it this far. I've been considering writing a sequel (based on another Nancy Drew book, of course -grin-); you guys will have to let me know if I should. For now, on with the show!

_(fade out...)_

_(begin chapter...)_

"Darien, no," Serena managed to gasp.

At the sound of her voice, Darien blinked a few times, the blank, vacant look lessening somewhat, and shifted his aim slightly to the left, making the wall between Professor Davis and Serena the target.

"So this is the young lady who had such important information about Jackson Knight's murder," a voice said from behind Darien. Damien Vrice stepped out and gave the petite blonde a superior smile. "For some reason I wasn't expecting you."

Serena gulped. "It was you; you were the one who hypnotized Darien."

The blond man shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I didn't think you worked for the campus newspaper."

"I don't." Her eyes kept flitting to Darien's face.

"Ah, then someone somewhere was confused. Now why don't you tell us this important information?" Damien crossed over and sat on the corner of the desk to Darien's right.

Serena's features hardened. "No."

Inside the control room behind the two-way glass, seven frustrated women cheered silently.

"I could have Darien here shoot you." The man in charge missed the quick shudder that passed through the ebony-haired man to his left. "You obviously haven't told the police anything."

"How do you know I haven't arranged to meet them here?" she said defiantly.

"Because it wouldn't do you any good. They're sure Darien here killed Jackson in a fit of anger. And they don't like the fact that his girlfriend…"

"Fiancé," Serena corrected waspishly.

"Fiancé," Damien conceded. "The police don't like the fact that Darien's fiancé has decided to poke her nose in their investigation. You would need something substantial to get them here, and you wouldn't have agreed to meet the professor here if you had it."

Serena bit her lower lip, her eyes wandering to Darien's entranced form. Damien had her on that one. Now how to turn this situation around? "Darien didn't kill Jackson," she refuted. It was all she could think to say.

Damien smirked. "And why would you say that?"

Sapphire blue met light brown. "I know him. I trust him. I believe in him. He would never kill anyone," she whispered fiercely. Inside the booth, Hotaru's eyes filled with tears.

"The evidence says otherwise."

"The evidence in misleading. The physical evidence, anyway." Serena took a deep breath as Damien raised an eyebrow. "I found evidence that says the results of Professor Davis' studies were being tampered with. Jackson knew about it. Since I also know Jackson did a reevaluation with the real figures, that leaves either you or Davis to have done the original tampering. And you aren't cowering in a corner with a gun pointed in your direction." The petite blonde huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Damien smirked again. "So you _do_ have brains, contrary to popular opinion. But why does that eliminate Darien?"

"There's no way Darien could have had access to that information, especially with him being a subject in one of the studies. Isn't that right, Professor?" the blonde woman asked without taking her eyes from the seated man in front of her.

"She's right and you know it, Damien. Only you, Jackson, and I had access to the raw data from the studies," Davis confirmed with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Oh, hush, old man. I don't believe I gave you permission to speak." The blond man returned an amused gaze to Serena. "Since you seem to think I'm the murderer, why don't you tell me what my motive is?"

"Money," Serena returned promptly. "And probably indirect prestige. The United States government has shown itself to be very interested in subliminal suggestion and is known for spending big money on defense contracts. Second, to be part of the study team that proved the effectiveness of subliminals would be another notch in your belt, something you could use now that you have your PhD and will be starting your own independent studies." The girls in the control room had to pick their jaws up off the floor at their leader's quick insight. "I'd say you have motive enough, even more powerful than Darien's fit of anger." A blonde eyebrow rose as she shifted her hands to her hips. "So tell me, did Jeffrey Cross bribe you with cash or were you getting a cut of the government contracts he's expecting?"

Anger flared in the brown eyes boring into her before his face relaxed slightly into a begrudging smile of respect. "You _have_ done your homework, haven't you?" Damien paused and looked the petite blonde over somewhat suggestively. "Both," he said finally.

Serena fought to keep from shuddering with revulsion. "So Cross helped with the murder?"

Vrice scoffed. "Of course not! He had no idea that Jackson was going to die until after the fact."

"So why was he here on Thursday afternoon? I have a witness that saw him enter the psychology building after four o'clock."

The cocky smirk returned. "My weekly pay-off. In fact he called in a panic Friday after reading the morning paper. It took me quite a while to calm him down."

"The police do know that Cross was here Thursday, and that he lied about his whereabouts that night. Lieutenant Alexander even seemed interested in that information," Serena said a bit airily, hoping to goad more of a confession out of the arrogant man she was faced off against.

Damien shrugged. "So be it. There's no evidence linking him to the crime… or me, really. According to all the paperwork, Jeffrey Cross only deals with Simon Davis."

"The US government won't be too eager to give money to a murder suspect in a high-profile case. Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"How little you know the US government," the blond man murmured. "Even if you were right, it doesn't matter. I had my own deal set up with General Sloan."

"What?" Professor Davis sputtered in shock.

"I've been giving the US government information from a variety of your studies over the last three or four years. It's been quite profitable."

"So why did they bother to offer to fund my studies?" Davis asked harshly.

"Legitimacy, old man, legitimacy. That way they could have your name officially on file when they showed off their facts and figures to Congress. You've made quite a name for yourself, Simon." Davis narrowed his eyes. "With your reputation behind their proposals, they would have passed easily. A lot less hassle." Damien shrugged. "But you had to go and have a fit of morals. You could have been a rich man, Davis."

"I can still sleep at night. It's a better trade-off."

"I sleep just fine myself. And I have all the benefits of all that money. So I wouldn't be so sure about that trade-off."

"You severely disappoint me, Damien. I trusted you." The professor's expression was pained.

"Save your breath, old man. I refuse to go on a guilt trip, and I won't be easily distracted," the blond man said with a glare.

"Was… was shooting Jackson part of your deal with that general?" Serena asked softly.

"No, it was a necessity," Damien said as he turned his attention back to the petite blonde. "Jackson came to me a little over two weeks ago, claiming he had thought I had made a few mathematical errors I should be aware of before we turned in our reports to the professor. Silly, honorable Jackson. I knew this was going to be a problem. Fortunately I had been prepping good ol' Darien here. I invited him over to my place that Friday, showed him my gun collection, and made sure he left with a murder weapon. The next day I reported the gun stolen."

"Wait a minute. How did you get him into a trance to take the gun? He remembers going to your apartment so he didn't show up in one," Serena quizzed, hoping to keep the assistant talking now that he had started. The girls waited behind the glass with baited breath.

"That's the beauty of a stereo with a remote control. I had the remote in my pocket and pressed play while Darien wasn't looking."

"So it _is_ a song that puts him into a trance," Serena breathed in feigned realization. Amy smiled as she recognized the same vacant look the blonde had used on Jeffrey Cross.

Damien smiled wickedly. "So Little Miss Detective doesn't have all the answers after all. How entertaining!"

The blonde woman narrowed her eyes. "Thank you. I'll be here all week," she said sarcastically.

"I don't think so," her blond counterpart said smugly. "I don't even think you'll be here all night."

Fear flashed briefly through Serena's sapphire blues. "How is Darien in a trance right now? I don't hear any music playing," she said quickly, trying to keep the topic off the end of their conversation.

Damien laughed. "I took care of that earlier. One phone call and a command to fall into a trance at exactly eleven thirty and come here was all it took. He won't come out of it until he's told."

Serena took a deep breath and released it. She knew now how to solve one of her problems, but the other one was proving to be more difficult. The petite blonde's eyes narrowed as she watched Damien pull on a pair of skin-tight latex gloves. _He must be getting ready to finish this; he knows Darien won't do it,_ she thought, fighting down the accompanying panic. _I have to stall him until I can think of something_! "So how are you going to explain three more dead bodies? No one would believe Darien shot me in a fit of anger," Serena scoffed.

Damien stood and stepped slowly toward the girl. "Not anger – jealousy." He ran a latex-covered finger slowly along Serena's jaw line and she felt her skin crawl. "And who said anything about _three_ bodies? Darien's not going to die. I need him to go to jail for his… crimes." The blond man smirked. "That will provide concrete proof that subliminals are effective for controlling people." Damien let his finger travel from the stiff woman's jaw down her throat and between her breasts over her shirt. No one but the outraged ladies in the control room saw Darien stiffen and his jaw clench.

"You don't control Darien," Serena refuted, an idea beginning to form in her head. "I can prove it."

Damien laughed. "Oh, really? _This_ I'd like to see. _I'm_ the one who put him in the trance. _You_ won't be able to do anything." His brown eyes glittered with maliciousness as he looked her over one more time. "But just to be on the safe side… Darien? Shoot her if she comes near you."

Serena glared at the blond man while Darien's muscles relaxed and he began to blink. She turned her attention to her fiancé with a snap of her head. "Darien? Can you hear me?" she asked gently. He hesitated for a moment then nodded. "I know this is confusing, but listen. I want you to do what you think is right. I'm going to come over to you. Do what you have to do."

"Darien! Don't you dare let her touch that gun!" Damien snapped, worry beginning to form on his features.

"I won't touch the gun," Serena said in the same gentle tone of voice as she started to step toward her beloved carefully. "I only want to touch you."

Darien's half-lidded gaze locked onto the petite blonde as she moved inside the range of the gun at the end of his outstretched arm. "Se… Serena," he barely breathed.

Serena smiled as she eliminated the space between them and put her hands on his shoulders. "Kiss me, Darien. Wrap your arm around me and kiss me."

Darien began to shake slightly and his breathing became quick and shallow. Finally the lids fell over his midnight blues, his left arm wrapped around Serena's shoulders – his right still extended – pulling her close, and his head lowered to cover her lips with his own.

And, in the lab's control room, there was much rejoicing (silently, of course). Haruka pumped her arm fiercely as she smiled wickedly. Michiru stood next to her, a small, enigmatic smile lighting her features. Hotaru and Amy, seated at the console, were grinning proudly, the younger girl leaning forward in her excitement while the blue-haired genius blushed. Lita and Mina stood behind the chairs clasping each other's hands and grinning as wickedly as Haruka, barely keeping themselves from jumping up and down for joy. Raye stood to the left of the rest of them, her arms crossed and a fierce, vindictive smile dominating her expression. They all continued to watch as the scene played itself out.

Eventually, Serena broke the kiss and moved back a fraction, Darien's arm slipping back to his side. "Darien, you can wake up now and remember everything," the petite blonde whispered just loud enough for Darien alone to hear as his eyes began to open again.

Damien snarled at the audacity of the little blonde who wasn't supposed to have enough smarts to tie her shoelaces much less figure out his setup. In a flash, he moved to her side, gripped her shoulder, and threw her back toward Davis, who had begun to relax a bit in his corner. "Darien, give me the gun," he commanded as Serena fell to the floor, not having expected the move. Darien merely lowered his arm, his eyelids blinking faster as he struggled to follow both people's suggestions.

"I told you he wasn't under your control!" Serena cried as she scrambled back to her feet. "And he didn't kill Jackson Knight!"

The blond man snatched the gun from Darien's dropping hand and trained it on the triumphant woman. "It appears you caught me," he snarled. A wicked grin formed as her sapphire blues widened at his latest move in this most dangerous game. But she surprised him by moving between him and Professor Davis. Damien shrugged and continued. "Jackson threatened to go to Davis with his 'findings' if I didn't fix my 'mistakes.' Well, that just wouldn't do, now would it? Not after everything I'd done to keep my gravy train running. I even offered to cut him in on the deal if he'd just keep quiet. The honorable fool turned me down. But he gave me one last chance. If I'd change the data and results to what they should actually be in two weeks time – our due date to turn in our analyses in to the professor – he wouldn't say anything."

Damien laughed derisively. "Like I could count on that. So I got Darien ready to pull the trigger. I knew about the confrontations he'd had with Jackson, and I'd already encouraged him to loosen his control of his emotions. I waited in the control room on Thursday after getting my money from Cross. I'd heard about the argument the two had earlier that day, and they had another one the minute Jackson sauntered in. It was perfect! But then Knight's conscience must have kicked in and he apologized. Darien, being the weak-willed fool he is, accepted it. The only thing going for me at that point was that no one else knew they had made up.

"I continued with my plan as it sat, hoping some residue of anger was left over from the insults Jackson had tossed around about Darien's precious little Serena. But the blasted man wouldn't pull the trigger! I had to come out of the control room and kill Jackson myself! Fortunately it was _my_ gun and my fingerprints would be expected. I wasn't as prepared as I am tonight." Damien's arrogant, evil smile replaced the tense, frustrated look of moments before.

"Whose gun is that?" Serena asked softly.

"I… convinced Bobbie – that's my _girlfriend_," he stressed mockingly, "to get me one of her father's guns. By sheer coincidence, he happens to live in Darien's apartment building. He should be reporting it stolen any time now."

Serena shot a quick look over Damien's shoulder and saw Darien shaking his head, his eyes squeezed shut. She knew she had to buy him a little more time to recover. "Speaking of your girlfriend, how did you get her to lie about your alibi?"

"That's the best part about it; she didn't know she was lying. I've been hypnotizing her for years. I called from my cell phone as I left, triggered her trance, and planted the suggestion that the call… interrupted us. I even had her pleasure herself when she hung up so the aftereffects would be more convincing. I don't like to leave loose ends. Speaking of which," here Damien lowered his voice menacingly and smiled wickedly, "I believe it's time to tie some up. You've been a surprisingly worthy opponent, Miss Tsukino. Feel privileged. You actually earned my respect." His face went blank, and Serena closed her eyes as he began to pull the trigger.

The sense of Serena being in danger is what finally cleared the last of the fog from Darien's brain. He caught the last of Damien's words and found himself moving without thought. The ebony-haired man barreled into the blond man as the shot rang out, plowing them both into the floor and sending the gun flying.

Serena's scream not even half a second later, followed by a door crashing open caused Darien's head to snap up and toward his fiancé. She was gripping her arm, her face contorted with pain. His breath caught, and when his eyes caught sight of the blood escaping from underneath her hand, all rational thought stopped and he saw red.

Damien's head had also snapped up at the same two sounds. He took one look at the seven thoroughly pissed-looking women pouring out of the control room and decided to go by the old adage, "He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day."

Darien growled and blindly followed the fleeing man, Haruka and Lita right on his heels. Michiru and Raye weren't far behind. Amy and Hotaru rushed over to Serena, the black-haired girl immediately using her healing ability to fix the wound the bullet had left when it grazed the blonde's arm.

"Is everything okay?" Mina, who had waited in the doorway, asked excitedly.

Amy closed her computer, having finished the scan she had started at the sound of Serena's scream. "Serena's completely healed. Davis fainted. No injuries."

"Then come on! The others are going to have all the fun!" the bubbly blonde exclaimed.

"No!" Serena shouted as she squeezed by Mina. "We have to stop Darien! He'll kill Damien!"

"And this would be a bad thing why?" Hotaru asked as she joined the two blondes sprinting in the direction the others had gone.

Amy made a quick pit stop in the control room before running after the others. "Can't forget that," she muttered to herself. She caught sight of Serena's blonde streamers disappearing around a corner and followed.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Two cars pulled up outside the psychology building at about twelve thirty. Five men and a woman tumbled out of the green station wagon while an average-height black man, a taller, lankier man with multi-colored hair, and a short blonde woman stepped out of a Mustang convertible. "Why didn't you tell me the campus was so nice, Steve?" the multi-color haired man asked in English with a British accent.

"Shut up, Lymie," Captain McMahon growled.

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"Both of you knock it off," the blonde woman reprimanded. "We have company and a job to do."

"Do we have our credentials?" the British man asked a bit anxiously.

"Yes, Roadkill, and the flashlights and batteries are in the car." The small woman gestured toward the Mustang.

"Well, Captain McMahon, are we ready?" Andrew asked as he and the other passengers of the station wagon walked up to the bickering trio.

Steve nodded. "I'd say so," he responded in Japanese to match the latest arrivals.

"I just hope Serena's gotten him to confess by now," Greg said worriedly.

"There's only one way to find out," Ken said, turning to walk toward the psych building.

Just then, Roadkill gasped. "What is it?" the blonde woman asked quickly.

"Someone… is very scared. And someone is very… pissed." Roadkill cocked his head to the side. "Make that multiple people are very pissed."

"What in the world are you talking about?" Jamie asked, thoroughly confused.

Almost in response, the back door to the building slammed open and a tall blond man came running around the corner like the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels. A few short paces behind him came Darien Shields with a murderous expression on his face, followed by a train of women, most with comparable looks.

"Why do I get the feeling you were wrong about Davis?" the watching blonde woman said.

"Probably because that's Damien Vrice," Jamie answered. "Davis never would have made it to the back door."

"Well, let's not just stand here," Steve commanded. "Let's stop this character and find out what's going on."

"He's heading for one of the back parking lots!" Chad exclaimed as the group of nine joined the chase.

"Not if _I_ have anything to say about it," the small blonde woman muttered as she started to move her hands and whisper almost unintelligible words under her breath.

Half a minute later, Damien's left leg stiffened and the man went sprawling into the dirt. Darien was on him immediately, his hands flying to the prone man's throat. "You slimy son of a…"

"Darien!" Serena cried out as she forced her way through the others to get to his side. "Don't! Please don't! He's not worth it!" She tried to pry her fiancé's hands off the other man's neck.

"He shot you. He was going to kill you," Darien growled, his total lack of emotion scaring Serena all the more.

"Darien, please!" the petite blonde begged, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Now you know you didn't shoot Jackson – don't let Damien turn you into a murderer! You're better than that! You're better than him!" Sobs choked off anything else she might have said.

Captain McMahon finally made his way to the center of the crowd as Darien turned to look at his crying fiancé and his hands loosened and reached for Serena's face, cupping her cheeks. "Serena," he whispered, not resisting when Steve moved him off of Damien. "I… I'm sorry. I just… lost control. He tried to hurt you, to take you away from me. I just… I saw red." He gently wiped away her tears. "I couldn't bear to lose you. I love you too much."

Serena threw herself into his arms after the couple stood. "I love you, Darien! I love you so much!" she sobbed into his shoulder as they held each other fiercely.

"At least I know why it didn't work," Damien sneered from where McMahon held him with his arms chicken winged behind his back. "You're pussywhipped!"

Before the outraged crowd could react, the small blonde woman that had come with Captain McMahon stepped forward and slapped the captive man with a resounding crack. "You just keep that big mouth shut. You of all people have no right to judge anyone."

"Winter!" Steve chided.

"What?" the blonde woman responded. "You can't tell me he didn't deserve it!"

"It _did_ shut him up," Roadkill added.

Haruka turned to Lita. "I think I like her."

Lita grinned. "I _know_ I do."

"Okay, entertainment aside, what happened here?" Steve asked the assembled group as he held Damien's limp form.

"First off, this is a recording of Damien Vrice's confession to the murder of Jackson Knight," Amy said as she held up the tape she had grabbed from the control room, noticing that Serena was still recovering in Darien's arms. "Second, I have computer disks that provide evidence that Professor Davis' studies were being tampered with. Third, we can show that Darien can be put into a highly suggestive hypnotic trance using the song 'Control' by Janet Jackson." The blue-haired genius smiled shyly. "Do you need anything else?"

The girls all snickered, including Serena, who Darien could feel smiling against him. Steve chuckled. "Let me get this straight. Basically you're saying you have evidence that Damien Vrice shot Jackson Knight and supports a strong motive to do so?" Amy nodded.

"Works for me. Call the cops, Roadkill," Winter said decisively.

"Yep, I like her," Haruka declared, grinning.

"Me too," Mina chimed in with a giggle. Winter winked at them with a smile.

Roadkill took over holding Damien while Steve called Lieutenant Alexander. While the lean man was explaining everything, Professor Davis walked up. "Did everything work out alright?" he asked a bit shakily.

"Everything's fine, Professor," Serena said from Darien's embrace.

"That's right," McMahon confirmed as he handed the phone to Winter. "Lieutenant Alexander is on his way here now. That was some good detective work, Miss Tsukino."

"We could have used her I don't know how many times, don't you think?" Winter muttered to her wild-haired companion.

"No kidding," Roadkill agreed.

Serena smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. And call me Serena."

Steve returned the smile. "You can call me Steve – unless it's official business of course." His two companions snickered. "I suppose I should introduce my friends. The weird one with all the colors and the funny accent we call Roadkill – don't ask."

The introduced man shot an annoyed look at his friend then bowed. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, beautiful lady." A slight glare from Darien made him take a step back. "My real name is Bartram Cook."

"Or even Floyd Wiggerstomper if you check the right ID," Winter quipped.

"And the short blonde with the mouth is Winter Jameson," Steve finished.

Winter grinned. "Nice to meet you all. If this is the kind of thing you do on a regular basis, we're going to have fun." The scouts and Darien shot each other looks.

Just then, a slightly familiar beat-up sedan and a squad car pulled up and Lieutenant Alexander and two uniformed officers stepped out. "Alright, what's this about evidence that someone else shot Jackson Knight?" the lieutenant snapped irritably.

"Somebody's grumpy when they wake up," Lita muttered. Haruka and Mina snickered.

Amy stepped forward holding out the tape. "We have his confession recorded on this tape."

"All lies!" Damien shouted from McMahon's hold as Alexander snatched the offered item. "They couldn't have recorded anything! And I want to press assault charges against the blonde midget over there!" Serena and Winter turned icy gazes in his direction.

"Which one?" the lieutenant growled.

"Not the one with the warped hair – the other one."

Winter blinked innocently and pointed to herself. "Me? Assault? I didn't do anything."

"I know _I_ didn't see anything," Roadkill added.

"I don't know what he's talking about," Haruka agreed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Must be sick in the head," Raye said with a wicked smile.

"Well, given the scenario recorded on the tape now in Lieutenant Alexander's possession, that analysis could prove to be quite valid," Amy said. Everyone looked at her strangely. The blue-haired woman blushed. "I agree with Raye."

"I think we'd all have to say Damien doesn't know what he's talking about. We didn't see anything," Mina said with a shrug. The other girls nodded in agreement.

"Damien's good at lying," Darien added with a slight smirk, giving Serena a squeeze.

Lieutenant Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to ask all of you to come down to the station while we sort this all out. For now I want both Shields and Vrice in cuffs. Officers, take care of it."

"I'll take care of Shields," McMahon announced as he handed off Damien.

"Fine, whatever. Just get him downtown," Alexander relented.

Soon the group was in their respective vehicles and heading toward the police station.

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

It was dawn before everything was sorted out, leaving Darien cleared of the murder charge and Damien sitting behind bars. The large group gathered on the steps outside the police station silently watching the sunrise.

"Beautiful," Winter whispered finally. "I never used to truly appreciate sights like this. But now…"

"I know," Roadkill said quietly. Steve merely nodded his agreement as both men placed a hand on either of the small blonde's shoulders.

"So what's it like to watch the sunrise as a free man again, Dare?" Andrew asked as Rita snuggled in his embrace.

"Feels good," Darien responded with a smile, giving Serena a squeeze. "One of the best feelings on Earth."

"I still wish we could have gotten a few licks in on the bastard," Haruka grumbled. Michiru squeezed her hand.

"Definitely would have been fun," Ken agreed. Lita nodded enthusiastically.

"I think he'll suffer more this way," Jamie said thoughtfully. "Having dealt with him in class and the learning study, I'd say proving he's not as superior as he always thought he was is a fitting punishment."

"Jamie's right," Darien concurred. "I think his gloating in the lab proves that."

"Are you sure you guys are alright?" Hotaru asked. "You've had quite a night."

"I think we'll be just fine," Serena responded. "Thanks for worrying about us."

"I suppose we should get going," Steve broke in. "We've done what we came here to do."

"So far," Roadkill added. Steve elbowed him in the ribs.

Winter eyed the group for a long moment. "We'll be around for a while," she began as she pulled a pen and piece of paper out of her purse and started to write, "but I want you guys to know if you need anything at anytime you can give us a call." She handed the slip of paper to Serena. "It's our cell number. We always have it with us." The small blonde smiled. "And when I say anything, I mean _anything_. It's fun having connections."

"This from 'My daddy's in the CIA,'" Roadkill muttered.

"Shut up. That little fact saved our hides once if I remember correctly, Mr. 'I drool over other people's seventeen-year-old sisters.'"

"Do we want to know?" Serena asked, wide-eyed.

"Oh, Roadkill hit on my youngest sister Summer once. The rest you'd be better off not knowing." Winter shrugged. "At least not now. Maybe later."

Serena blinked for a few moments then started giggling. "Thank you for all your help. Maybe one of these days we can do something fun."

"I'd like that." The small blonde looked down at her watch. "I suppose we should get going. We'll see you guys around." There was a chorus of goodbyes as the three companions started down the steps with a wave.

"Give me the cell phone," Roadkill said.

"Why?" Winter asked.

"I want to call Gabe."

"Now? We're not even done yet!"

"So? I just want to talk to him."

"No, Roadkill. Now get in the car." Winter got behind the steering wheel, Steve forced Roadkill into the Mustang, and the three of them drove off.

As the group watched the convertible speed off amusedly, Professor Davis and Lieutenant Alexander walked out of the station behind them. "Oh, good, you're still here. Look, Miss Tsukino," the lieutenant began gruffly, "I want you to know I'm sorry for snapping at you the way I did. Turns out you were right. You did some good detective work. Thanks."

Serena gave him a big grin. "Of course, Lieutenant. And don't worry about it. I understand where your frustration was coming from." Alexander nodded and went back into the building.

Davis cleared his throat. "Um, Darien? Could I speak with you for a moment?"

Darien looked at him a bit startled. "Sure, Professor."

"I think that's our cue to leave, guys," Raye said with a sly smile. "Everyone go home and get some sleep. We'll do a group dinner at the temple tomorrow."

"Sounds great!" Mina chirped. "See you there if not sooner!" She gave Serena a brief hug then dragged Jamie off.

"You did a wonderful job, Serena. Call me later if you're up for anything." Amy reached out and gave Serena's hand a squeeze before she and Greg walked off to her mother's waiting car.

"Glad to see you're a free man, Darien," Lita said with a grin.

"Same here." The ebony-haired man returned the grin.

"We always knew you were innocent," Ken added. "Just remember that."

Darien's expression softened into a gentle smile. "Thanks. I will."

"Talk to you later, Serena. Great work!" Lita gave a wave, and she and Ken left.

"I have to give my dad a call and let him know I won't be in today, so I should be going too." Andrew said, smiling. "Get some rest and give me a call. We'll do something."

"Will do, buddy." The two friends shook hands.

"You certainly know how to make a vacation fun. It'll be nice to visit for a while without this hanging above our heads." Rita grinned.

"I'm looking forward to it," Darien said as he returned the smile.

"Me too," Serena added.

"Remind me to talk to you next time I need to figure something out," Andrew teased, mussing up the petite blonde's bangs. She giggled as the couple walked off.

"Well, Kitten, it looks like you have a successful first case under your belt," Haruka said slyly.

"I hope it's my _only_ case," Serena retorted.

"Oh, don't worry. If something else comes up, we'll all be here to back you up," Michiru reassured her.

Serena smiled. "I know. That's what makes the thought bearable."

Haruka looked at Darien and raised an eyebrow. "Well, Mr. Free Man, it looks like we'll see you tomorrow at the temple."

"Sounds good. See you then."

Haruka and Michiru started to turn away when Hotaru suddenly leapt forward and encased Serena in a bear hug. "Thank you," the girl whispered. "Thank you for believing."

Serena returned the embrace. "There was never any doubt."

As soon as the two girls broke apart the dark-haired girl did the same to Darien. "Just remember you're not alone. I understand, and I'll always be here."

Darien's midnight blues misted over. "You remember that too." She nodded. A minute later the small family headed down the steps.

Raye wordlessly stepped forward and hugged Serena. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks for believing in me."

The priestess stepped back and shrugged. "Hey, you'd do the same for me." She looked over at Darien. "This'll teach you to doubt yourself. You know, _we_ never did."

"Consider the lesson learned. And thank you." Darien gave her a small smile.

Raye dismissed his thanks with a gesture. "Just show up for the get together tomorrow night. You guys are the guests of honor."

"And I won't play a note of Janet Jackson," Chad added with a grin. Darien laughed as the couple ran down to Lita's station wagon, where she waited to take people back to the campus to get their respective modes of transportation.

The three remaining people watched the green car drive away. Darien then turned to the professor. "You wanted to talk to me?"

Serena blushed. "I can wait somewhere else if this is supposed to be private."

Davis shook his head. "No, that's okay, Serena. I wanted to offer my assistance actually. Now that the police have the song putting Darien into a trance on videotape I can eliminate Damien's suggestions."

"That's a wonderful idea," Serena enthused. "What do you think, Darien?"

"I like it. I don't think my mental state should be subject to the whim of the local radio station." Darien smiled ruefully.

"We should do this as soon as possible," Davis mused. "I'm planning on canceling today's classes, so how about four o'clock this afternoon in my office?"

"That should be fine, Professor," Darien agreed.

"And I'd like you to come as well, Serena," the professor added.

Serena blinked a few times. "Sure. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

The couple was told to come in immediately upon knocking on Professor Davis' office door just before four o'clock that afternoon. "Come on in and sit down," Davis offered with a gesture to the two chairs in front of his desk when they opened the door.

"So how are we going to work this?" Darien asked after he and Serena had seated themselves.

Davis sighed. "Let me ask a question before we get to that. Did you suspect me of manipulating you?"

"Yes, we did," Serena answered when she saw Darien couldn't. "To be honest, I had totally forgotten about Damien because I didn't think he had any kind of regular exposure to Darien since he didn't really have anything to do with the amnesia study. That, and I figured it would be easiest for you to mess with the data from the studies. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Professor," Darien added quietly.

"Don't be sorry. With the evidence you had it makes logical sense to suspect me." The older man smiled. "I suspected you really did it as well, Darien. Especially when you pointed that gun at me."

The ebony-haired man shrugged. "Like you said, it makes logical sense to have suspected me. _I_ suspected me."

"So it took Damien's confession to clear Darien for you?" Serena asked curiously.

"No. I was always a bit doubtful of the lieutenant's conclusion. But what cinched it for me was when he moved the gun away from you just at the sound of your voice. You reached him."

"But I never moved it off you until I was told to," Darien said, confused.

"True," Davis conceded. "But you didn't aim it back at me either. Just remember, aiming isn't firing. You wouldn't have pulled the trigger. What happened with Jackson proves that."

"Speaking of Jackson, why did you agree to meet me last night?" Serena questioned.

"I had just finished going through the copy of the data I got in the mail from Jackson on Saturday. I knew my studies had been tampered with and that was probably the reason the boy was dead. When you said you had important information I figured you were scared the real murderer would find out before you told me. I called Damien figuring he'd want to know since he had seemed so close to Jackson."

"Who did you think had done it?" Serena asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Jeffrey Cross. I figured he had hacked into my system and doctored the new figures, on top of hypnotizing Darien into shooting Jackson. I'd heard of his unscheduled visits to the campus. The man's a whiz with a computer. That's how he started his business by himself. And I'm sure you already know he's a trained hypnotherapist."

"What do you think is going to happen to him?" Darien asked.

"Oh, Lieutenant Alexander told me there are plenty of charges against Mr. Cross. I don't think that he's going to be considered much of an outstanding citizen anymore." Davis smiled slightly.

"So why did you ask if I suspected you of manipulating me?" Darien asked after a brief silence.

"Trust, Darien. For me to be able to work with you I need complete trust. I'm sure you felt betrayed when you came to the conclusion that I had murdered Jackson, and that kind of damage doesn't just go away because I didn't. Especially with your background, it's going to take some time to earn that trust again. I'm willing to do it, mind you, but that doesn't help me now."

"So what are we going to do?" Serena asked as Darien reluctantly nodded in understanding.

Davis smiled. "You reached him last night. He trusts you beyond anything I could even hope for. I was thinking I could lead you through the process this afternoon. Would that be alright with both of you?"

The couple turned to face each other. Serena searched Darien's face for a few moments and gave him a questioning look. Darien smiled. "That's fine with me. I trust her with everything." Serena blushed and smiled shyly.

"Now that that's settled, why don't we get started?" The professor placed a small boombox on his desk. "My daughter went to Europe with a group of friends and left this and her music collection behind – fortunately for us. Janet Jackson's in the CD player. Now let's get rid of Damien's suggestions before you find yourself following Serena's unintentional commands." Davis was shocked to see both people blush furiously at the comment. He raised an eyebrow. "I take it that's already happened?"

"Um, yes," Darien answered, embarrassment in his tone.

"Twice," Serena added.

Davis chuckled and shook his head. "For some reason that doesn't surprise me. Shall we begin?"

_(fade out...)_

_(scene change...)_

Four hours later, Serena woke Darien up for the last time and the three of them prepared to leave for home. "Darien," Davis began after he locked up his office, "were you planning to continue in my amnesia study? I would understand if you didn't, but I think it has a decent chance of working for you."

"You're continuing your studies after everything that's happened?" Serena asked incredulously.

The professor smiled and nodded. "I have the original data thanks to Jackson, and there are a couple of deserving student assistants I'd be willing to train to take over for him and Damien." Pain flashed across the older man's features briefly. "I can't stop," he continued softly. "I believe in my work and that I'm doing some good. I can't let this stop me or it'll all have been in vain."

"That's wonderful, Professor. I'm glad then that you won't stop," Serena said, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

"I think I'll keep going, Professor," Darien said thoughtfully as the trio reached the lobby of the psychology building. "You deserve the chance to earn back my trust, and… I deserve the chance to remember." Serena reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Thank you, Darien. This means a lot to me." Davis sighed. "I do want to apologize though. If I hadn't called Damien, there wouldn't have been such a dangerous confrontation. I should have thought that through a little more."

"Oh, Professor, don't be sorry," Serena said quickly. "You trusted him and thought he cared about Jackson." The petite blonde smiled ruefully. "I'm the one who should apologize. I never even truly considered Damien a suspect, at least not for long. Maybe it was his alibi that did it… Anyway, if I had realized the truth sooner I could have kept you from being in danger."

Darien wrapped his arms around his fiancé and smiled at the professor. "You'll have to excuse her. Serena tends to want to protect everyone, regardless of the danger to herself." His smile faltered a bit as certain memories flashed through his mind.

"I know," Davis said with a mysterious, knowing smile. "Thank you for stepping in front of me like that, by the way. You really shouldn't have."

"I wasn't going to let him shoot you. It was that simple." Serena shrugged.

"Well, I thank you. Now enough with this morbid talk. Go home and enjoy the evening. I'll see you tomorrow in class, Darien. We'll work things out afterward."

"Right. See you then, Professor."

"Have a good night!" Serena called cheerfully as they separated.

"I don't think I got a chance to thank you," Darien said as he and Serena reached his car.

"You of all people don't have to do that," she replied before climbing into the passenger seat.

Darien got in and started the engine. "Yes, I do." He turned and gave the petite blonde an intense look. "I will not take you for granted. You mean too much to me for that." He leaned over and kissed her thoroughly.

Once they were on their way back to Darien's apartment, Serena bit her lower lip in thought. "Do you think he knows?"

"Who?"

"Professor Davis."

"Knows what?"

"That I'm Sailor Moon and you're Tuxedo Mask."

Darien shot her a quick confused look. "Why do you ask?"

"That smile he gave you after you said I need to protect people no matter what the danger to me and the way he said he knew."

The ebony-haired man thought for a few moments as he pulled into the apartment building's parking garage and his space. "He just might," Darien said finally, after he turned off the engine. "With some of the things I've said during the hypnotherapy sessions it's certainly possible."

"Can we trust him? I mean, I think _I_ do, but…"

Darien smiled and reached over to cup her cheek in his hand. "I know, Serena. After what happened this afternoon I'd say we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. We'll have to keep an eye on him, but in general…"

Serena turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. "I'm glad you're taking this so well."

"With Damien's suggestions gone, I feel like me again. And that feels wonderful. Now let's go upstairs."

Soon the couple was sitting together on the couch in Darien's apartment, each holding a glass of lemonade and leaning up against each other. "You know, I still don't understand why I couldn't remember the voice was Damien's and that I hadn't shot Jackson," Darien mused.

"Well, Damien put a pretty big block on the memory of his voice. That took me a half hour by itself." Serena took a large swallow of her lemonade.

"But why couldn't I remember I didn't shoot Jackson?"

Serena sighed. "You were afraid," she said quietly.

Darien looked down at her, confused. "What are you talking about? And how do you know?"

"Oh, Darien. I remember the look on your face at the police station after Lieutenant Alexander was finished questioning you. You didn't know if you had done it or not. In fact, it looked like you were leaning toward the idea that you had." Serena paused to finish her drink and put the glass on the coffee table. Darien did the same, his eyes never leaving Serena's face.

"I think the idea that you were capable of killing someone in cold blood scared you to the core of your being," she continued, sitting back on the sofa so she could look her beloved in the eye. "When I asked you to remember if you had pulled the trigger, your fear took over and you unconsciously accessed the Golden Crystal. At first I was afraid the pain you felt was because you had hit your head on the chair when you collapsed. But Hotaru said she had only sensed the cut when she healed you. And then I felt the energy of your crystal when Amy said she couldn't get her computer to scan. I kind of put two and two together at that point."

"Is that why you decided not to try again?" Darien asked softly.

"Pretty much. If you were using the crystal to block the memory and Amy's scan, there wasn't much I could do."

Darien closed his eyes and sighed. "Why would I do that? I didn't shoot him; there was no reason to be afraid."

"You didn't know that, Darien," Serena explained gently. "Damien had you suppress the memory, on top of having you lose control of your emotions. The uncertainty and fear went unchecked. Under normal circumstances I think you would have had more confidence in yourself."

"But why did I tap the Golden Crystal?" His eyes opened as he awaited her answer.

Serena smiled. "Your crystal, like mine, is in tune with its bearer's heart. It can sense your desires. In this case, it was easier for you not to remember and there to be a chance you didn't do it than to possibly face the reality that you pulled the trigger. So the crystal made it happen. Your head probably hurt so you'd stop trying to remember. Made its job easier that way."

Darien nodded as he mulled over the information. "That makes sense I guess. But if the crystal's just going to start trying to fulfill all my desires…"

"No, no," Serena interrupted. "It won't do that. The crystal only reacts to strong desires. The key is to control the crystal so it doesn't act on its own. Remember that. Control the crystal, not your heart. You _can't_ control your heart."

Darien smiled and grabbed her waist. "You already taught me that lesson." Serena's hands gripped his shoulders as he kissed her. "I fought my feelings for you so much when I met you. I tried dating Raye to get my mind off of you, to steer my heart in another direction. But it was useless. I fell head over heels in love with you the moment that crumpled up test paper hit me in the head."

"And I fell in love with you the second I turned around after you yelled at me." Serena grinned.

"You yelled back if I remember correctly," he said playfully as he moved closer.

"Of course I did. I couldn't let you get away with that."

"Oh, shush, Meatball Head." With that, Darien's lips captured Serena's once more.

When they finally broke apart to breathe, Darien nuzzled her nose and leaned back to lock gazes with her. "You did a wonderful job investigating this. I am _so_ proud of you." His hands stroked her sides lightly.

"I hope this is the only time I have to do it," Serena replied, her sapphire blues lost in the midnight blues before her, and her hands kneading his shoulders.

"Well, if you ever have to again, you'll do beautifully. And you'll have everyone's support, just like you did this time."

"I know."

"And me. You'll definitely have me. I'll always be by your side, no matter what." His eyes flashed.

"I know that too. And I'll always be here for you." Her eyes flashed in response.

Those were the last words spoken between them for quite a while. Their lips met once again and the soul mates proceeded to make slow, passionate love. Their world, and that of their friends and companions, had been put right and all was back to normal.

For now, that is…


End file.
